Lady Burton's rope squirrel

Lady Burton's rope squirrel, Funisciurus isabella, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae endemic to western Central Africa, found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It occurs in both lowland and montane moist forests, in the understory of dense secondary growth with vines and creepers, in plantations and old gardens, but not in the canopy of tall trees. It was first described in 1862 by John Edward Gray from a specimen collected 2,000 metres up Mount Cameroon, and the name isabella honours Isabel Burton, the wife of the explorer Sir Richard Burton. It is a fairly small squirrel, with a head and body about 154 millimetres long and a slender tail of about 160 millimetres, and its grizzled brown fur has two black bands along each side. It moves alone or in pairs and feeds mostly on fruits and seeds, with small amounts of leaves, arthropods and fungi. It is common with a wide range, no particular threats have been identified although it is hunted for food, and the IUCN has rated it of least concern.