Swinhoe's Striped Squirrel

Swinhoe's striped squirrel is a small tree squirrel with pale yellow facial stripes running from the nose toward the neck and white tufts behind the ears. Cinnamon and yellow stripes extend along the back toward the tail. The dorsal markings are less vivid than those of some related striped squirrels and terminate around the shoulders instead of joining the cheek stripes. Reported average mass is 60g. (Animal Diversity Web)

The species is widespread in central and southern China, including Hainan, and occurs mainly in mountain forests between 1,000 and 3,900m. It is active by day and conducts nesting, feeding and mating in the canopy. Seeds and other plant parts form its main diet, while nectar is taken from flowering ginger. Food is cached within its range. Females generally produce two litters annually, averaging just over three young. (Animal Diversity Web)