Smith's bush squirrels are diurnal, arboreal animals from southern Central and East Africa that weigh about \(200\) grams and are about \(35\) cm long, with a tail that is half their body length. They have a varied diet of seeds, fruits, and insects, and live in territorial family groups in tree holes. Their fur color varies regionally, and they are known for their social behavior, such as mutual grooming, which strengthens group cohesion.
Appearance
Size: About \(35\) cm in total length, with a tail that is half of that length.
Weight: Approximately \(200\) grams.
Color: Fur color varies by region; it can be pale grey in the west or more brown in the east. They have a reddish-brown head and legs, with a white or buff/yellowish chest and a white belly.Features: They are alert, have a long tail they carry straight behind them, and their belly is always white.
Habitat and behavior Habitat: They live in woodland savannas in parts of Southern, Central, and East Africa.Activity: They are diurnal (active during the day) and arboreal (tree-dwelling), but also spend a lot of time foraging on the ground.
Social structure: They live in territorial family groups of 2 to 12 individuals that nest in tree holes.Grooming: They practice mutual grooming to promote group cohesion.
Reproduction: The young are sexually mature between six and nine months and are then expelled by the parents. A litter typically consists of two offspring.
Diet Primary food: Mostly vegetarian, including seeds, fruits, nuts, flowers, and leaves.
Insects: They also eat insects and arthropods, particularly during breeding season.
Specific preferences: They show a preference for seeds and gums from acacias and seeds and flowers from aloes.
Smith's bush squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi), also known as the yellow-footed squirrel or tree squirrel, is an African bush squirrel which is native to woodlands of the southern Afrotropics.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, the DRCongo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It is a common rodent which is diurnal by nature.
