Squirrels are cute and nice-looking rodents in different parts of the world.
Many types of squirrels in Africa inhabit various parts of the continents.
Although squirrels resemble each other in appearance and behavior, some characteristics set them apart.
This article explores some of the common types of squirrels in Africa and their unique traits.
1. Southern Africa Tree Squirrel
Also known as Smith’s Bush Squirrel, the Southern African Tree Squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi) inhabits the bushveld and woodland of southern African countries such as Angola, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and northern South Africa.
Tree squirrels in Southern Africa primarily inhabit riverine bush. They measure about 35cm in length and weigh around 175g.
They actively forage on crops, seeds, fruit, nuts, and bark and occasionally indulge in insects, animal eggs, and chicks.
These squirrels can endure extended periods without consuming water.
While tree squirrels typically forage alone, they can form small groups consisting of one or two males, females, and their young.
The entire group collectively shares a nest, commonly a hole in a tree-lined with soft plant material.
Diurnal in nature, tree squirrels are primarily active during the daytime and often emit noisy alarm calls, indicating predator presence.
Female tree squirrels give birth to 1-3 tiny (10g) babies at any time of year, though mainly in the rainy season.
The young leave the nest at about three weeks old. Snakes, eagles, owls, genets, cats, and mongooses are the chief predators of Tree Squirrels, which have a life expectancy of about eight years in the wild.
2. Cape Ground Squirrel
The cape ground squirrel (Geosciurus inauris) is one of the types of squirrels in Africa, and it is found mainly in the arid regions of South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia.
Also known as South African ground squirrel or fan-tailed squirrel, this species is black-colored with a coat of short, stiff hairs without underfur.
The sides of their body have a white stripe that stretches from the shoulders down to the thighs.
The eyes are relatively large and have white lines around them. Male cape ground squirrels can grow between 16-18 inches long, while females can grow up to 17 inches long.
Cape ground squirrels, social animals, form groups of three to nine adult females, while males typically reside separately from females, except during mating seasons.
Concerning reproduction, these squirrels can give birth to between 1 and 3 pups throughout the year, with a higher frequency around winter.
Omnivores by nature, cape ground squirrels consume diverse meals, including fruits, grasses, insects, bulbs, herbs, and shrubs.
Reports indicate that they dedicate 70% of their lives to foraging for food, and they tend to consume minimal water, as their food provides sufficient moisture.
A notable characteristic of cape ground squirrels is their ability to raise their tails to cool the skin, enhancing thermal comfort during foraging in the hot sun.
3. Mountain Ground Squirrel
Mountain ground squirrels (Geosciurus princeps) closely relate to the cape ground squirrel and are alternatively known as the Kaoko ground squirrel or the Damara ground squirrel. These squirrels inhabit South Africa and Namibia, sharing an appearance similar to the cape ground squirrel.
Adults of this species typically reach a total head and body length ranging from 23 to 29 cm, a tail length of 21 to 28 cm, and a weight between 490 and 710 grams.
4. African Pygmy Squirrel
African pygmy squirrel (Myosciurus pumilio) is one of the types of squirrels in Africa commonly found in tropical rainforest regions of Central Africa, including Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.
It is the world’s smallest squirrel, measuring about 12–14 cm in length and just 15–18 g in weight.
The hind limbs of African pygmy squirrels are longer than their forelimbs, with a round profile skull, rooted cheek teeth, and incisors.
They bear more resemblance to mice than actual squirrels. The fur color is light olive white in the underparts and buffy umber brown in the upper parts.
The standard adult mass is 16.5 grams (0.58 oz). This species has one premolar on each side of the upper jaw.
Like most squirrels, the African pygmy squirrel is diurnal and spends much of its life foraging for food.
They are known as cache animals, meaning that, unlike other squirrel species, they do not store their food.
Instead, they consume them as they find them. Their diet includes insects, fruits, and nuts.
African pygmy squirrels are solitary animals and hardly move in groups to forage for food or fight off predators.
Snakes, birds, civets, and army ants are common predators of the African pygmy squirrel.
5. Barbary Ground Squirrel
One of the types of squirrels in Africa is the barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus) found in the Atlas region of Morocco, Western Sahara, and Algeria.
Primarily, they inhabit subtropical or tropical drylands, arid, rocky ground, and mountainous areas up to about 4,000 meters (13,000 ft).
Physically, barbary ground squirrels can be identified by their distinguished greyish-brown or reddish-brown coat color, with white stripes running along each side and sometimes another along the spine.
The Barbary ground squirrel can grow between 160 and 220 millimeters with a bushy tail of a similar length. On average, adults weigh around 350 grams.
Barbary ground squirrels are diurnal and come out to feed early in the morning and again in the evening before retreating into their burrow during the day’s heat.
They feed on plant material, and a part of their diet is the fruit and seeds of the argan tree.
6. Striped Ground Squirrel
The striped ground squirrel (Euxerus erythropus) represents one of the squirrel types native to Africa.
Six subspecies of the striped ground squirrel are distributed across the continent, namely: Euxerus erythropus erythropus, Euxerus erythropus chadensis, Euxerus erythropus lacustris, Euxerus erythropus leucombrinus, Euxerus erythropus limitaneus, and Euxerus erythropus microdon.
These species are prevalent in various African countries.
These include Nigeria, Niger, Mauritania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Congo, Cameroon, Chad, Uganda, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Morocco.
Stripped ground squirrels have short, bristly fur with a pale, sandy to dark brown color across most of the body.
Their name is derived from the stripe of white fur that runs from the shoulders to the hips.
The hairs on their tail are much bushy than those on their body. They also possess small ears, pointed noses, pale limbs, and large feet.
They are moderately large rodents, ranging from 22 to 29 centimeters, with a tail that is nearly as long as the body at 19 to 26 centimeters. Adult squirrels weigh between 0.5 and 1 kilogram.
Considered pests, stripped ground squirrels are diurnal animals, and they spend a large part of their lives foraging for food on farmlands.
They feed on cassava, yam, sweet potatoes, and groundnut. They also provide a variety of carnivorous diets like insects, eggs, and smaller animals.
7. Fire-Footed Rope Squirrel
The fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyropes) is one of the types of squirrel in Africa.
It is commonly found in West and Central Africa, including Senegal, Uganda, and Angola.
Its natural habitats include subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, and farm plantations.
Fire-footed rope squirrels are small rodents. Adults average a height of 8.1 inches and weigh between 225 and 240 grams.
They are primarily omnivores, although their diet consists of fruit and seeds. When fruits and seeds are scarce, they resort to eating tiny termites and ants.
8. Forest Giant Squirrel
The forest giant squirrel (Protoxerus stangeri), also known as “the stranger’s squirrel,” is one of the types of squirrel in Africa.
They inhabit the subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and plantations of many countries such as Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda.
It is the largest squirrel species in Africa. The head and body length is around 300 mm, and the weight is up to 630 grams.
The fur is mainly brown with a shade of white. The tails are almost the same length as the rest of the body, with thick and bushy hair.
Solitary, diurnal forest giant squirrels prefer staying in nests when not foraging for food during the day.
They live in nests built on trees from materials such as tree twigs. They are omnivores but feed primarily on fruits and nuts.
9. Sun Squirrel
Despite the least concerning classification, people in African forests regularly hunt forest ground squirrels for meat, posing a potential threat to them.
The sun squirrel, belonging to the genus Heliosciurus, comprises various subspecies such as the Gambian sun squirrel, Mutable sun squirrel, Small sun squirrel, Red-legged sun squirrel, Ruwenzori sun squirrel, and Zanj sun squirrel.
Squirrels of this kind are mainly located in sub-Saharan African countries.
The species derives its name from its habit of staying in the sun on tree branches. They also use their tail as a sunshade in hot weather.
10. Red Bush Squirrel
The red bush squirrel or red-bellied coast squirrel (Paraxerus palliatus) represents one of the squirrel species in Africa, inhabiting the tropical and subtropical vegetations of Somalia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
The fur has a reddish or yellowish belly, dark grey on the back, and a bushy reddish tail. Red bush squirrels can grow up to 35-40 cm long, and tails measure between 17-2- cm.
Red bush squirrels are omnivorous animals and feed primarily on fruits, seeds, and insects.
