Tufted Pygmy Squirrel (Exilisciurus whiteheadi) lives in tropical rainforest across Southeast Asia. It feeds on fruits and seeds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Tufted Pygmy Squirrel
- It lives solely in Borneo's highland forests, spending its days climbing the trunks of trees to forage. The species is endemic to highland forest in Borneo, where it can be found foraging on tree trunks. Its distribution is limited to those elevated woodlands and it is not found elsewhere, making its range extremely restricted to that specific habitat.
- The squirrel's most noticeable feature is a pair of ear-tufts that give it its common name. The common name of this tiny squirrel refers to its distinctive ear-tufts. These distinctive patches crown its small head, making it easy to recognise among other rodents, and they are the defining characteristic highlighted in its description.
- Despite belonging to the squirrel family, it is exceptionally small, described as a 'tiny squirrel'. It is a member of the family Sciuridae.
- Ants form the core of its diet, with the animal primarily hunting these insects among the bark. While moving along tree trunks in Borneo's highland forest, it scrapes off flakes of bark and gathers mosses that grow on the surface, also supplementing its meals with fruit and vegetable matter.
- In addition to ants, it supplements its meals with flakes of bark, mosses and fruit and vegetable matter. The squirrel searches the bark of trees for these items while climbing the trunks of highland forest trees in Borneo.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSoutheast Asia
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietFruits and seeds
About the Tufted Pygmy Squirrel
In the verdant depths of Borneo's rainforests, the Tufted Pygmy Squirrel dances through the underbrush, its tiny paws barely touching the forest floor as it darts from branch to branch with an effortless abandon. With a flick of its bushy tail, this diminutive creature vanishes into the dappled shadows, its tufted ears twitching with an acute sensitivity to the whispers of the forest. As it forages for seeds and fruits, the Tufted Pygmy Squirrel embodies a carefree joy, its very existence a testament to the untold wonders that thrive in the hidden recesses of our planet's most ancient ecosystems.
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