Chinese Red-cheeked Squirrel

The Chinese red-cheeked squirrel is a long-nosed squirrel with an olive-toned back, bright rusty sides to the face and buff or ochre patches behind well-haired ears. Its skull is comparatively large, with a long, narrowed muzzle; the original type had a 4.4 cm hindfoot, while examined skulls reached 5.8 cm or more. Colour varies with season and locality, so genetic evidence is important for separating it from the very similar red-cheeked squirrel (Balakirev et al. 2022).

This forest-dependent squirrel is confirmed genetically from Ha Giang, Cao Bang and Son La. Morphological evidence places it throughout northern Vietnam and north into Yunnan, and probably Guangxi, with its southern Vietnamese limit near 17°30′–17°45′ N. It meets red-cheeked squirrel populations around Son La and Yen Bai, although the study found no genetic proof that both species occur at the same sites. Wide deforested areas restrict movement between its forest populations (Balakirev et al. 2022).