Sun squirrels (genus Heliosciurus), form a taxon of squirrels under the subfamily Xerinae and the tribe Protoxerini. They are only found in sub-Saharan Africa.
The habit of basking in the sun on tree branches probably gave this group its common name.
Sun squirrels have been implicated in the spread of human monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
There are 6 species in the genus:
- Gambian Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus gambianus
- Mutable Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus mutabilis
- Small Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus punctatus
- Red-legged Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus rufobrachium
- Ruwenzori Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus ruwenzorii
- Zanj Sun Squirrel Heliosciurus undulatus
Famous quotes containing the words sun and/or squirrel:
“The sun came dazzling through the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.”
—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)
“The squirrel hoards nuts and the bee gathers honey, without knowing what they do, and they are thus provided for without selfishness or disgrace.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)