Geographic Range
Cambodian striped squirrels reside in multiple Southeast Asia countries. Individual
sightings have been recorded in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.
Habitat
Cambodian striped squirrels are a terrestrial species and have been observed in evergreen
and semi-evergreen tropical forests.
Tamiops rodolphii
conducts many of its activities in the understory as well as the lower canopy of
forested areas. The elevation range for
Tamiops rodolphii
has not been reported, but its close relative,
Tamiops macclellandi
, has been observed up to 1,500 meters above sea level.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- forest
Physical Description
Tamiops rodolphii
has short hair, a long tail, and large eyes. Cambodian striped squirrels have a light
brown body with distinctive black and pale colored stripes on their backs as well
as a black, pale, and brown striped head. Cambodian striped squirrels measure around
12 cm from their heads to the base of their tails with a tail length of 12 cm. Female
and male Cambodian striped squirrels look similar and have similar body weights. An
average female body length is around 11.77 cm with a 10.79 cm tail length, and an
average male body length is 11.74 cm with a 11.11 cm tail length. An adult Cambodian
striped squirrel can weigh up to 56 grams.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes alike
Reproduction
The mating system of
Tamiops rodolphii
has not been reported, but most squirrel species are promiscuous where both females
and males have multiple reproductive partners.
- Mating System
- polygynandrous (promiscuous)
General reproductive behavior of Cambodian striped squirrels has not been reported,
but arboreal squirrels tend to spend more time on reproduction compared to ground
squirrels. Arboreal squirrel neonates are larger than ground squirrel neonates but
their litter sizes are smaller. Arboreal squirrels, however, often try to have more
than one litter per year, resulting in high numbers of offspring.
- Key Reproductive Features
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
The parental care behavior of Cambodian striped squirrels has not been reported, but
arboreal species tend to have more parental care than ground squirrels, but less parental
investment compared to flying squirrel species.
- Parental Investment
- altricial
- female parental care
Lifespan/Longevity
The lifespan of
Tamiops rodolphii
has not been reported. The lifspan of its close relative,
Tamiops macclellandi
, is three years in the wild.
Behavior
Cambodian striped squirrels have been observed foraging on the ground, on tree trunks,
and on lianas.
Tamiops rodolphii
are a diurnal arboreal species and are often found in habitats with Himalayan striped
squirrels (
Tamiops maccellandi
). The social behavior of
Tamiops rodolphii
has not been reported, but
Tamiops maccellandi
is a social species often found in groups.
Home Range
The home range of Tamiops rodolphii has not been reported.
Communication and Perception
Although information on
Tamiops rodolphii
communication is limited, its close relative
Tamiops macclellandi
uses alarm calls to communicate when there is a threat of predation.
- Communication Channels
- acoustic
Food Habits
Cambodian striped squirrels are omnivores and eat flowers, insects, seeds, and tree
bark.
- Animal Foods
- insects
- Plant Foods
- wood, bark, or stems
- seeds, grains, and nuts
- fruit
- flowers
- Foraging Behavior
- stores or caches food
Predation
Most likely predators of
Tamiops rodolphii
would be those that prey on
Tamiops macclellandi
, such as brown fish owls (
Ketupa zeylonensis
) and changeable hawk-eagles (
Nisaetus cirrhatus
). Tamiops macclellandi has also been observed foraging near bird species such as
greater racket-tailed drongos (
Dicrurus paradiseus
) and Ashy drongos (
Dicrurus leucophaeus
). Researchers suggest this is an anti-predator behavior since drongos will attack
avian predators by mobbing them in large groups.
Ecosystem Roles
Tamiops rodolphii
has shown behavior like that of bark gleaner species. Bark gleaners are species that
feed on hard-to-reach food resources such as insects that dwell in the crevasses of
tree bark. Feeding upon wood born insects helps to maintain tree health. Cambodian
striped squirrels are also seed dispersers.
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
- biodegradation
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Cambodian striped squirrels' positive economic importance has not been documented,
but there are squirrel species in Southeast Asia that have been used for medicinal
purposes. In Myanmar, oils from giant flying squirrel carcasses have been used for
treating joint pain.
- Positive Impacts
- source of medicine or drug
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Cambodian striped squirrels' negative economic importance has not been reported.
Conservation Status
According to the IUCN, Cambodian striped squirrels are classified as Least concerned.
As of 2017, the population is currently stable. Very limited research has been conducted
on
Tamiops rodolphii
. Threats to its close relative,
Tamiops maccellandi
, include habitat fragmentation and encroachment, forest fires, and jhuming (a method
of creating farm land through controlled forest fires).
Additional Links
Contributors
Orla Budge (author), University of Washington, Laura Prugh (editor), University of Washington, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- oriental
-
found in the oriental region of the world. In other words, India and southeast Asia.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- polygynandrous
-
the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- female parental care
-
parental care is carried out by females
- arboreal
-
Referring to an animal that lives in trees; tree-climbing.
- diurnal
-
- active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- stores or caches food
-
places a food item in a special place to be eaten later. Also called "hoarding"
- biodegradation
-
helps break down and decompose dead plants and/or animals
- drug
-
a substance used for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- insectivore
-
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- folivore
-
an animal that mainly eats leaves.
- frugivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fruit
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
References
Chang, S., T. Oshida, H. Endo, S. Nguyen, C. Dang, D. Nguyen, X. Jiang, Z. Li, L. Lin. 2010. Ancient hybridization and underestimated species diversity in Asian striped squirrels (genus Tamiops): inference from paternal, maternal and biparental markers. Journal of Zoology , 10: 1469-7998.
Duckworth, J., D. Lunde, S. Molur. 2017. "Himalayan Striped Squirrel (Tamiops mcclellandii)" (On-line). Accessed May 29, 2021 at https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/21379/22252047#habitat-ecology .
Duckworth, J., R. Timmins, R. Thewlis, T. Evans, G. Anderson. 1994. Field observations of mammals in Laos, 1992-1993. Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society , 42: 177-205.
Duckworth, J. 2017. "Tamiops rodolphii" (On-line). iucnredlist. Accessed April 18, 2021 at https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/21381/22252307#bibliography .
Francis, C. 2008. A Field Guide to the Mammals of South-East Asia . New Hollland: New Holland Publisher.
Hayssen, V. 2008. Patterns of Body and Tail Length and Body Mass in Sciuridae. Journal of Mammalogy , 89/4: 852-873.
Hayssen, V. 2008. Reproductive Effort in Squirrels: Ecological, Phylogenetic, Allometric, and Latitudinal. Journal of Mammalogy , 89/3: 582-606.
Ibbett, H., A. Keane, A. Dobson, O. Griffin, H. Travers, E. Milner-Gulland. 2020. Estimating hunting prevalence and reliance on wild meat in Cambodia's Eastern Plains. Oryx , 10: 1-11.
Limparungpatthanakij, W., G. Gale, Y. Brockelman, P. Round. 2017. Western striped squirrel Tamiops mcclellandii: A non-avian sentinel species of bird waves. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology , 65: 474-481.
Molur, S., C. Srinivasulu, B. Srinivasulu, S. Walker, L. Ravikumar, P. Nameer. 2005. Status of South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals. Conservation Assessment & Management Plan (C.A.M.P.) Workshop Report: 1-618.
Moore, J., G. Tate. 1965. A study of the diurnal squirrels, Sciurinae, of the Indian and Indo-Chinese subregions. Fieldiana Zoologica , 48: 1-351.
Nijman, V., C. Shepard. 2017. Ethnozoological assessment of animals used by Mon traditional medicine vendors at Kyaiktiyo, Myanmar. Journal of Ethnopharmacology , 206: 101-106.
Throington Jr., R., J. Koprowski, M. Steele, J. Whatton. 2012. Squirrels of the World . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Youlatos, D., A. Panyutina. 2014. Habitual bark gleaning by Cambodian striped squirrels Tamiops rodolphii (Rodentia: Sciuridae) in Cat Tien National Park, South Vietnam. BioOne , 39: 73-81.