Mearns's squirrel
{{Short description|Subspecies of rodent}}
{{Subspeciesbox
| name = Mearns's squirrel
| image = Tamiasciurus mearnsi.jpg
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Tamiasciurus
| species=douglasii
| subspecies = mearnsi
| authority = (Townsend, 1897)
| synonyms = Tamiasciurus mearnsi
}}
Mearns's squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii mearnsi) is a subspecies of the Douglas squirrel endemic to Mexico.{{MSW3 Sciuridae | id = 12400278 | page = 766}} It is endangered and occurs in low densities, and is threatened by habitat loss.Koprowski, Ramos, Pasch & Zugmeyer (2006). [http://ag.arizona.edu/~squirrel/SWN%20Mearns%20Ecology%20Koprowski%20et%20al.pdf Observation on the ecology of the endemic Mearn's Squirrel (Tamiasciurus mearnsi).] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606063914/http://ag.arizona.edu/~squirrel/SWN%20Mearns%20Ecology%20Koprowski%20et%20al.pdf |date=2011-06-06 }} The Southwestern Naturalist 51(3): 426-430. It is possibly also threatened by competition from the eastern gray squirrel, which was introduced to the range of Mearns's squirrel in 1946, but may not be present anymore. It is closely related to other subspecies of the Douglas squirrel, but far less is known about its behavior, which was first studied in detail in 2004. It is named for the 19th-century American naturalist Edgar Mearns.
Taxonomy
Although formerly considered a distinct species due to its isolated habitat, phylogenetic evidence indicates that it has little genetic differentiation from the Douglas squirrel, and that the clades comprising the Douglas squirrel are paraphyletic with respect to it, and due to this it was reclassified as a subspecies of the Douglas squirrel.{{Cite journal|date=2016-07-01|title=Revision of widespread red squirrels (genus: Tamiasciurus) highlights the complexity of speciation within North American forests|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|language=en|volume=100|pages=170–182|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2016.04.014|issn=1055-7903|last1=Hope|first1=Andrew G.|last2=Malaney|first2=Jason L.|last3=Bell|first3=Kayce C.|last4=Salazar-Miralles|first4=Fernando|last5=Chavez|first5=Andreas S.|last6=Barber|first6=Brian R.|last7=Cook|first7=Joseph A.|pmid=27083861|doi-access=free}} Despite this, it is very different from any other member of Tamiasciurus in habitat and behavior, and thus it is thought to be of major conservation value.{{Cite journal|last1=Steiner|first1=M.|last2=Huettmann|first2=F.|date=2021-01-01|title=Justification for a taxonomic conservation update of the rodent genus Tamiasciurus: addressing marginalization and mis-prioritization of research efforts and conservation laissez-faire for a sustainability outlook|journal=The European Zoological Journal|volume=88|issue=1|pages=86–116|doi=10.1080/24750263.2020.1857852|s2cid=234182338|doi-access=free}}
Description
Mearns's squirrel is a relatively small tree squirrel, with an average head-body length of {{convert|20|cm|abbr=on}}, and weighing about {{convert|270|g|abbr=on}}. They have soft, dense, fur, which is grey-brown on the upper body and white with yellow patches on the underparts. There is a stripe of solid black fur on each flank, and a narrow band of reddish-yellow fur runs down the middle of the back. The tail is bushy, with darker fur than the body, but fringed with white and yellow. The fur on the head is mostly grey, becoming yellowish towards the snout, and with dark ears and clear rings of white fur around the eyes.{{cite journal |author=Koprowski, J.L. |author2=Steele, M.A. |author3=Ramos-Lara, N. | date = August 2016 | title = Tamiasciurus mearnsi (Rodentia: Sciuridae) | journal = Mammalian Species | volume = 48 | issue = 936 | pages = 66–72 | doi = 10.1093/mspecies/sew007| doi-access = free }}
Distribution and habitat
Mearns's squirrel is known from only three sites in the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir in Baja California, Mexico. The region is surrounded by areas of chaparral and desert, isolating the tree squirrel from its closest relatives elsewhere, and indicating that it is likely a relict population isolated by forest fragmentation during the Pleistocene.{{cite journal |author=Arbogast, B.S. |author2=Browne, R.A. |author3=Weigl, P.D. | date = May 2001 | title = Evolutionary Genetics and Pleistocene Biogeography of North American Tree Squirrels (Tamiasciurus) | journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 82 | issue = 2 | pages = 302–319 | doi = 10.1644/1545-1542(2001)082<0302:EGAPBO>2.0.CO;2| doi-access = free }} The three sites all consist of pine and fir forests at altitudes of {{convert|2100|-|2400|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and cover an area of no more than {{convert|40655|ha|sqmi|abbr=on|sigfig=3}}.
Biology and behavior
Mearns's squirrel is diurnal and herbivorous, feeding mainly on the seeds of fir and pine trees. Unlike its closest relatives, such as the Douglas squirrel, it does not hoard food for future use, and it rests in cavities in trees, rather than constructing nests from leaves.{{cite journal |author=Ramos-Lara, N. |author2=Koprowski, J.L. |author3=Swann, D.E. | date = February 2013 | title = Nest-site characteristics of the montane endemic Mearns's squirrel (Tamiasciurus mearnsi): an obligate cavity-nester? | journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 94 | issue = 1 | pages = 50–58 | doi = 10.1644/12-MAMM-A-113.1| doi-access = free }} The squirrels do not appear to be territorial, and two individuals may sometimes share the same resting cavity.{{cite journal |author1=Ramos-Lara, N. |author2=Koprowski, J.L. | date = June 2012 | title = Communal nesting behavior in Mearns's squirrels (Tamiasciurus mearnsi) | journal = Southwestern Naturalist | volume = 57 | issue = 2 | pages = 195–225 | doi = 10.1894/0038-4909-57.2.195| s2cid = 86113608 }} Vocalizations are known to include a high-pitched "rattle", a chirp, and a barking sound.{{cite journal |author=Smith, C.C. | date = November 1978 | title = Structure and function of the vocalizations of tree squirrels (Tamiasciurus) | journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 59 | issue = 4 | pages = 793–808 | doi = 10.2307/1380144| jstor = 1380144 }}
The mating season lasts from around February to August, with one or two litters of two to five young being born each year.
References
{{Wikispecies|Tamiasciurus mearnsi}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1762156}}
Category:Endemic mammals of Mexico
Category:Mammals described in 1897