Mammals
Red-Bellied Squirrel
Sciurus aureogaster · also called Mexican gray squirrel, variegated squirrel
Moving briskly through the forest canopy in central Mexico, a red-bellied squirrel forages for seeds, one of an enormous range of colour variants this widespread species can display, from grey to black to warm reddish tones, depending on exactly where it happens to live.
Overview
The red-bellied squirrel, Sciurus aureogaster, is a common, highly variable tree squirrel native to forest habitat across a broad range of Mexico and parts of Central America, with a small introduced population also established in Florida. Its extraordinary coat colour variation, widespread native abundance, and unusual history as an introduced pet-trade species in the United States make it one of the more visually diverse and geographically interesting tree squirrels found in the Americas.
A species that wears many different coats
Few tree squirrels vary in appearance as dramatically as the red-bellied squirrel, whose coat colour shifts so much across its wide native range that separate populations can look almost like different species entirely.
Status
Least Concern, widespread and common across suitable forest habitat throughout Mexico and parts of Central America, with an additional small introduced population persisting in Florida.
Red-Bellied Squirrel: common questions
Why does the red-bellied squirrel look so different from one population to another?
This species shows extraordinary variation in coat colour across different populations, ranging from grey to black to reddish tones, a level of variation pronounced enough that individuals from different regions can look dramatically different from one another despite belonging to the same species.
How did the red-bellied squirrel end up in Florida?
This species was introduced to a limited area of Florida through the pet trade during the mid-20th century, and the resulting population has persisted in that localised area ever since, existing alongside the species' much larger native range across Mexico and Central America.
Is the red-bellied squirrel common in its native range?
Yes, this species is common and widespread across a large portion of Mexico and parts of Central America, making it one of the more frequently encountered tree squirrels within the forest habitat it naturally occupies.
Does the red-bellied squirrel help forests grow?
Yes, by caching nuts and seeds across its territory and sometimes failing to retrieve every cache, this species contributes meaningfully to the dispersal and germination of various tree species, playing a role in forest regeneration similar to that of other seed-caching squirrels.