Heliosciurus

Heliosciurus, or sun squirrels, is a genus of squirrel in the subfamily Xerinae and the tribe Protoxerini, found only in sub-Saharan Africa. Its common name is thought to come from either its habit of basking in the sun on tree branches or the use of its tail as a sunshade. The genus contains six species, the Gambian sun squirrel, the mutable sun squirrel, the small sun squirrel, the red legged sun squirrel, the Ruwenzori sun squirrel and the Zanj sun squirrel, all endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. Sun squirrels have been implicated in spreading human monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.