Richmond's Squirrel

Very similar to the Sciurus granatensis ssp. hoffmanni, but smaller in size, coloured less brightly, and with lighter coloured hairs on the tail. It has a brown back and tail, the tail streaked with tawny yellowish hairs, and an orange abdomen. Females have noticeably wider cheekbones than the males, but are otherwise morphologically identical (aside from the obvious).

Endemic to Nicaragua. It has mostly been collected in the lowlands on the Atlantic coast, from the border of Costa Rica to Honduras. It is thought to be absent from the Pacific coast, although specimens have been collected near there at the Toro rapids on the Río San Juan near Lake Nicaragua.

It is diurnal and probably solitary. It forages on the ground and in the understory and is seldom seen in the canopy, more often on the trunk and lower branches according to Jones Jr. & Genoways in 1971. The breeding season is long, from at least February to September, and litters of mostly three, sometimes two, young were reported by Jones Jr. & Genoways based on six gravid females. Jones Jr. & Genoways reported that it may moult twice a year.