Order : RODENTIA
Family : Sciuridae
Species : Tamiops rodolphii

Head-Body Length : 12 cm
Tail Length : 12 cm
Weight : up to 56 grams

Tamiops rodolphii (Cambodian Striped Squirrel) inhabits a variety of wooded habitats including thick forest, secondary scrub and gardens.

The example shown here was active late in the afternoon, in a lowland, sparsely wooded area comprising tall trees with an open canopy.

The species can be identified by the four cream stripes which extend from the back of the neck to the base of the tail. The stripes are all of similar thickness and colour, and between the  stripes the fur is dark brown.  In some populations the central dark stripe has a thin, pale brown line in the middle.

The flanks and tail are greyish brown, and the head slightly reddish brown to yellowish brown. The belly is pale orange.

The species has been documented in southern Vietnam as an 'habitual bark gleaner', meaning that it specializes in feeding intensively on tree bark. It will also consume insects and other invertebrates closely associated with tree bark (Youlatos et al, 2014).

This species occurs in parts of eastern Thailand, much of Cambodia, and southern Laos and southern Vietnam. In the west of its range, in parts of eastern Thailand, the species is replaced by Tamiops barbei (Southeast Asian Striped Squirrel).

Figs 1 to 4 : Four images of the same specimen from Siem Reap, Cambodia.  Note the equal thickness and consistent colour of the four pale stripes running the length of its back.


References :

Thorington Jr., R. W., Koprowski, J. L., Steele, M. A., Whatton, J. F. 2012. Squirrels of the World. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Youlatos, D., & Panyutina, A. A. (2014). Habitual bark gleaning by Cambodian striped squirrels Tamiops rodolphii (Rodentia: Sciuridae) in Cat Tien National Park, South Vietnam. Mammal Study, 39(2), 73-81.