Dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels are social and are likely to employ some forms of communication. Little is known about social communication in this species, but it is likely to include chemical cues, sounds, touch, and visual cues.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
The only major threat to dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels is the extraction of wood from their habitat. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, even though this species is poorly known, the habitat within its known range is reasonably intact when compared with forested regions in West Africa. This suggests that dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels are unlikely to be experiencing population declines currently.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
There are no known adverse effects of A. pusillus on humans.
Since only a few specimens have been found, the economic importance of A. pusillus and the benefit it has for humans is poorly known.
Dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels are important members of the ecosystems in which they live.
Dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels feed primarily on bark and fruit. One particular dwarf scaly-tailed squirrel was recorded feeding exclusively on Musanga fruit.
Plant Foods: wood, bark, or stems; fruit
Primary Diet: herbivore (Frugivore , Lignivore)
Anomalurus pusillus (dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels) occurs in Central Africa from Cameroon and Gabon to west Uganda and the northwest shore of Lake Tanganyika. Dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels are also found in West Liberia on the Du River.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels depend entirely on primary tropical forest in lowland areas. This species is found at elevations up to 2000 m.
Range elevation: 2000 (high) m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
There is little available information for A. pusillus concerning their lifespan or longevity.
Although there is no mass reported for A. pusillus, it is said to be the smallest species of anomalurid.
Dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels have a head and body length ranging from 210 to 246 mm. Their tail length, which is one third the length of their body, ranges from 138 to 157 mm. Their hind feet, with a length varying from 37 to 47 mm, contain bristle hairs that are seen over the claws.
The coloration of dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels varies from a tan, light gray color to a very dark gray. The belly of this species is usually a yellowish gray color. The tail is generally a blackish brown color on the tip. The head is generally gray without a facial pattern.
The genus Anomalurus in general has a distinctive feature which is a cape-like membrane stretched between the forelimbs and the hind limbs and between the hind legs and the tail. This feature allows them to glide from branch to branch. The membrane is supported in the front by a rod of cartilage extending from the elbow joint and attaching to the ankles at the rear. The name “scaly-tailed” refers to an area of rough, overlapping scales on the underside of the tail near the base.
Range length: 210 to 246 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
There is little available information on predation in A. pusillus. Like other anomalurids, their cryptic coloration and arboreal habits may protect them from some predation. They are likely to be preyed on by arboreal predators such as snakes, small cats, and birds of prey.
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
There is no available information on the mating system of A. pusillus.
Specific reproductive information for dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels is not known, but information from related species of Anomalurus indicate that females may have 2 litters of 1 to 3 young per year.
At birth, scaly-tailed squirrels are large, well-furred, and active and their eyes are completely open.
Breeding interval: Dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels may breed twice yearly.
Breeding season: Breeding season in dwarf scaly-tailed squirrels is not known.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 3.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Relatively little is known about parental investment in A. pusillus. In related species of Anomalurus, both parents bring food back to a well-hidden nest for their young until they become independent.
Parental Investment: precocial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female)
The dwarf scaly-tailed squirrel (Anomalurus pusillus) is a species of rodent in the family Anomaluridae.[2] It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Uganda. The species is nocturnal and arboreal and lives in subtropical or tropical lowland rainforest. Membranes attached to its limbs and tail enable it to glide between trees. This squirrel is currently not considered to be threatened by habitat destruction; "much of the habitat within parts of the known range of this species is relatively intact, and the species is unlikely to be experiencing any significant declines."[1]
This is a small flying squirrel, with adults having a head-and-body length of 185 to 255 mm (7.3 to 10.0 in) with a tail length of 120 to 200 mm (4.7 to 7.9 in). This flying squirrel weighs between 170 and 300 g (6.0 and 10.6 oz). The head is grey, and there is no contrasting colour on the edges of the ears. The fur on the upper parts is very variable in colour, ranging from black, grizzled grey or olive brown to mottled tan. The upper side of the membranes are dark grey, with the membranes near the tail tinged with yellow. The underparts are creamy white or yellowish, without any hint of rufous. The tufts of bristles surrounding the hind claws are also white. As with other scaly-tailed flying squirrels in the genus Anomalurus, a membrane is attached between the thighs and the more basal part of the tail. This part of the tail bears a patch of large cornified scales on the underside, the rest of the tail being plume-like.[3]
The dwarf scaly-tailed squirrel is native to tropical western and central Africa. As far as is known, there are two or more separate populations; one is in West Africa in Liberia, where one specimen was collected in the Du River Valley in the west of the country and two other specimens from Mount Richard-Molard in the north of the country; the other population is in Central Africa, the range including southern Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, northern Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, southwestern Central African Republic and eastern Uganda. It is possible that this rather unobtrusive species occurs in the intervening countries, with a single larger population. Although generally an animal of lowland primary rainforest, one specimen was collected at 2,200 m (7,200 ft) in Mugaba in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is generally found in the interior of forests and not around the edges or in mosaic woodland.[1]
The species is arboreal and nocturnal, and like other members of its genus, is able to launch itself from a tree and glide through the air to a lower branch. During the day it remains concealed in its nest, usually a crevice or hole in a tree or a hollow tree, or it may cling to a trunk or branch where its cryptic colourations makes it inconspicuous. It usually occurs in pairs or small groups.[4] Nothing is known about its reproductive habits. It is herbivorous and the diet includes fruits, including the fleshy fruits of the umbrella tree (Musanga cecropioides).[5] A morphological resemblance of the teeth and jaws with those of Lord Derby's Anomalure (Anomalurus derbianus) suggests that A. pusillus may also eat bark.[5]
The tropical forests where this flying squirrel lives are under threat from timber extraction and the conversion of the land to agricultural use. However the forests are much less threatened than are similar forests in western Africa. This squirrel is also under threat from hunting for bushmeat, but this is unlikely to pose much of a threat, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]
The dwarf scaly-tailed squirrel (Anomalurus pusillus) is a species of rodent in the family Anomaluridae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Uganda. The species is nocturnal and arboreal and lives in subtropical or tropical lowland rainforest. Membranes attached to its limbs and tail enable it to glide between trees. This squirrel is currently not considered to be threatened by habitat destruction; "much of the habitat within parts of the known range of this species is relatively intact, and the species is unlikely to be experiencing any significant declines."
