# Allen's squirrel

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{{Short description|Species of rodent}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Allen's squirrel
| image = Ardilla de Allen - panoramio.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=de Grammont, P.C. |author2=Cuarón, A. |date=2016 |title=''Sciurus alleni'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T20004A22248517 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T20004A22248517.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Sciurus
| species = alleni
| authority = [E. W. Nelson](/source/Edward_William_Nelson), 1898<ref name="Thorington"/>
| range_map = Sciurus alleni range map.svg
| range_map_caption = Allen's squirrel range
}}
'''Allen's squirrel''' ('''''Sciurus alleni''''') is a [tree squirrel](/source/tree_squirrel) in the genus ''[Sciurus](/source/Sciurus)'' [endemic](/source/endemic) to northern [Mexico](/source/Mexico). It has no recognised subspecies.<ref name="Thorington">{{MSW3 Sciuridae | id = 12400092 | pages = 754–818 | heading = ''Sciurus (Sciurus) alleni''}}</ref>

==Description==
Allen's squirrels are yellow-brown overall, grizzled with black and grey, with darker heads and lighter sides and legs. A white to buff ring surrounds the eye. The tail is black, sometimes touched with buff or yellow, and frosted white. [Melanism](/source/Melanism) is sometimes observed.<ref name="Thorington2012">{{cite book |last1=Thorington |first1=Richard W. |last2=Koprowski |first2=John L. |last3=Steele |first3=Michael A. |last4=Whatton |first4=James F. |date=2012 |title=Squirrels of the World |chapter=''Sciurus alleni'' (Nelson, 1898) Allen's Squirrel |url=https://archive.org/details/squirrelsofworld0000unse/mode/2up |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |page=40-41 |isbn=9781421404691 |access-date=5 Apr 2026}}</ref>

Females tend to have larger body mass than males. Outside of this, the species is not sexually dimorphic.<ref name="Best1995">{{cite journal |last1=Best |first1=Troy L. |date=23 June 1995 |title=''Sciurus alleni'' |url=https://www.science.smith.edu/departments/biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-501-01-0001.pdf |journal=Mammalian Species |volume=501 |issue= |publisher=The [American Society of Mammalogists](/source/American_Society_of_Mammalogists) |pages=1-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060411194220/https://www.science.smith.edu/departments/biology/VHAYSSEN/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-501-01-0001.pdf |archive-date=11 April 2006 |url-status=live |doi= |access-date=5 April 2026}}</ref> The typical head and body length is {{convert|220|-|254|mm|in}}, with the tail comprising another {{convert|217|-|247|mm|in}}. Male body mass is typically {{convert|290|-|491|gr|oz}}, while female body mass it typically {{convert|345|-|510|gr|oz}}.<ref name="Thorington2012"/>

==Distribution and habitat==
Allen's squirrel lives in northeastern [Mexico](/source/Mexico). Its natural range covers southeastern [Coahuila](/source/Coahuila), central [Nuevo León](/source/Nuevo_Le%C3%B3n), and western [Tamaulipas](/source/Tamaulipas), extending south to the extreme north of [San Luis Potosí](/source/San_Luis_Potos%C3%AD).<ref name="Thorington2012"/>

Allen's squirrel primarily inhabits [oak](/source/oak) and oak-[pine](/source/pine) montane forests.<ref name="Thorington2012"/> It has also been recorded in other mountain forest ecosystems, such as [pecan](/source/pecan) forests in Tamaulipas and in pine-[cedar](/source/Cupressaceae) and pine-[fir](/source/fir)-[aspen](/source/aspen) woods in Cohauila.<ref name="Best1995"/> Its range sometimes extends into similar ecosystems in lowland areas.<ref name="Thorington2012"/>

==Ecology and behavior==
Allen's squirrels are diurnal, and forage year-round in tree canopies and on the ground. Nests are made from leaves and twigs among tree branches or within natural cavities in trees. Pregnancies have been observed in all seasons.<ref name="Thorington2012"/>

Allen's squirrel is herbivorous and primarily feeds on tree seeds and fruit; insects and insect larvae also make up a frequent source of food. They occasionally also consume cultivated plants and [frog](/source/frog)s.<ref name="Thorington2012"/><ref name="Best1995"/>

==Interactions with humans==
Allen's squirrels are an occasional agricultural pest, and will feed on cultivated plants including [peanut](/source/peanut)s, [maize](/source/maize), [oat](/source/oat)s, [tomato](/source/tomato)es, [grape](/source/grape)s, [apple](/source/apple)s, [peach](/source/peach)es, [mango](/source/mango)es, and [plum](/source/plum)s. They can cause particularly damage to cornfields by eating ripening crops.<ref name="Thorington2012"/><ref name="Best1995"/> In turn, logging and the clearing of forest for agriculture are the primary ecological threats to the species.<ref name="Thorington2012"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{S. Sciurinae1 nav}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1763836}}

Category:Endemic mammals of Mexico
Category:Sciurus
Category:Mammals described in 1898
Category:Taxa named by Edward William Nelson
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot

{{Squirrel-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Allen's squirrel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen's_squirrel) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen's_squirrel?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.