Boehm's Bush Squirrel

Fascinating facts about the Boehm's Bush Squirrel

• At about 13 cm long, Boehm's bush squirrel packs a surprising heft: males average a head-body length of 129 mm (±8 mm) and weigh about 70 g (±5 g), while females are similar in length (129 mm ± 6 mm) but a touch heavier at 74 g (±8 g). Its tail, often longer than the body, measures a mean 138 mm in males and 146 mm in females.
• Four bold black stripes run down its back, split by a yellow-green russet mid-dorsal line and bordered by white to yellowish bands on a reddish-yellow background. This striking arrangement mirrors the stripe diversification seen across African rodents, where a single developmental pathway can tweak stripe number, color, and placement to produce the variety recorded in museum specimens.
• Across Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, the squirrel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its wide distribution and presumed large populations that include protected areas. Although no precise trend data exist, the lack of major threats suggests the species is holding steady.
• The squirrel thrives from sea level up to 2,300 m, nesting in forests dominated by Cynometra trees and in lowland, swamp, and montane woodlands.
• Primarily arboreal, Boehm's bush squirrel spends most of its time low on tree trunks and branches, only occasionally descending to the ground. Nests are tucked into tangled vines, constructed from twigs and leaves and lined with shredded bark.

At a glance

About the Boehm's Bush Squirrel

In the sun-dappled forests of sub-Saharan Africa, the Boehm's Bush Squirrel darts through the underbrush with an air of restless energy, its vibrant fur a blur of chestnut and grey as it pursues its endless quest for nuts and seeds. With a twitch of its bushy tail, it leaps from branch to branch, its agile form weaving through the dense foliage with a nimbleness that belies its sturdy build, as if defying gravity itself. As it pauses to survey its kingdom, its bright, inquisitive eyes sparkle with a fierce intelligence, illuminating the hidden world of this captivating creature.

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