English                -                Brazilian squirrel

Portuguese        -                 Serelepe

Latin                   -                  Sciurus aestuans

I first came across the Brazilian squirrel as I was walking around the forest trail (brown trail) at REGUA (Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu) I must admit, it took me ages to see it. All I could hear was a tap, tap, tapping sound coming from up in the trees and to be fair I though I was hearing a woodpecker. But after a while the woodpecker I was looking for ended up being the Brazilian squirrel, trying to open a nut by banging it on a tree branch. It was hard to photograph as it was high in the canopy and also it was quite dark as well so could only photograph it using a slow shutter speed. It stayed on the same branch for a while tap tap tapping until it was able to crack the nut open, then it disappeared higher into the canopy. While I was staying at REGUA, somebody managed to Photograph a “rare” white Brazilian Squirrel.

* Adult Brazilian Squirrel weigh around 185 grams and are around 30 cm in length from head to tail.

* The Brazilian Squirrel is endemic to South America.

* They are found in Argentina, Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname and Venezuela.

* They inhabit various types of forests from Atlantic gallery forests to Amazon rain forests as well as urban parks.

* The Brazilian squirrel is classed as a ‘tree Squirrel”.

* They feed on fruits and nuts, but can also prey on eggs and nestlings of birds.

* The Brazilian squirrel is considered an important seed disperser because it has the habit of burying seeds it finds to keep for a later date, then forgets where it buries some of the seeds it buries.

* The Brazilian squirrel has a wide distribution and a presumed large population, therefore it is classified as a species “of least concern”. But as forests are rapidly being converted into farmland, plantations, etc, the Brazilian squirrel may in the  future qualify for a threatened category.