Coat coloration in squirrels revisited

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ID: 331635
2026
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Abstract
Abstract The Sciuridae is one of the most colorful taxonomic groups of mammals despite being small, relatively defenseless, and therefore predisposed to relying on camouflage as a first line of protection. Surprisingly, certain species show vibrant irregular blocks of color, longitudinal striping, countershading, and multicolored tails suggesting one of several forms of protective coloration or intraspecific signalling. To investigate the ecological and social significance of such coloration, we scored coloration on the head, body, and tail of 205 sciurid species in their three major subfamilies. In line with two independent earlier comparative studies on this taxon, we found squirrel coloration to indeed be tailored principally for protective coloration. Specifically, we uncovered associations between darker coloration in shadier, wetter, and warmer habitats (Gloger’s rule likely mediated by background matching), putative evidence of countershading in smaller and likely more vulnerable species, and conspicuous coloration being associated with larger body size, either disruptive coloration in tree canopies or a form of warning coloration. We could not uncover associations between longitudinal dorsal striping or color blocks and ecological variables. These findings suggest a blossoming of protective coloration mechanisms operating in this taxomonic group.
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Authors Mariana Leyva, Tim Caro, Natasha Howell, Theodore Stankowich
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Journal behavioral ecology
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/beheco/arag130
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arag130
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