Richmond's squirrel

Richmond's squirrel (Sciurus richmondi) is a poorly known tree squirrel endemic to Nicaragua. It has mostly been collected in the lowlands of the Atlantic coast, from the Costa Rican border to Honduras, and occurs from the lowlands up to about 1,000 metres. It has a brown back and tail, the tail streaked with tawny yellowish hairs, and an orange abdomen, and it closely resembles a subspecies of the red-tailed squirrel but is smaller and less brightly coloured. Nelson first described it in 1898 from specimens collected in 1892. Its habitat is tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest. It is diurnal and probably solitary, forages on the ground and in the understory, and breeds over a long season with litters of mostly three young. Genetic studies suggest it may be the same species as the red-tailed squirrel (Sciurus granatensis). It is sometimes hunted for food, deforestation is considered a major threat, and the IUCN assessed it as Near Threatened in 2008.