About Sciurus nayaritensis J.A.Allen, 1890
The Mexican fox squirrel, with the scientific name Sciurus nayaritensis J.A.Allen, 1890, is a species of tree squirrel. Its range extends across the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico as far south as Jalisco, and north into the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona in the United States. This species, or its subspecies, is sometimes referred to by other common names: the Nayarit, Apache, or Chiricahua fox squirrel. It is currently classified as a Least Concern species on the IUCN Red List. Mexican fox squirrels occupy forest habitats spanning from approximately 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) elevation, in mixed pine-and-oak Madrean forests, up to mixed conifer forests at elevations below 2,700 metres (8,900 ft). The highest population densities of this squirrel are most often found in riparian areas with large cottonwood and sycamore trees. Within the United States, this species occurs only in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The Mexican fox squirrel inhabits forests that were historically maintained by frequent, low-severity fire, and favors the open understories and large trees that are characteristic of these fire-maintained forests.
