Heliosciurus

The list of species of Heliosciurus genus

Sun squirrels (genus Heliosciurus), form a taxon of squirrels under the subfamily Xerinae and the tribe Protoxerini. They are only found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Either the habit of basking in the sun on tree branches or the tail being commonly used as a sunshade gave this group its common name.

Sun squirrels have been implicated in the spread of human monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• Gambian sun squirrel, Heliosciurus gambianus
• Mutable sun squirrel, Heliosciurus mutabilis
• Small sun squirrel, Heliosciurus punctatus
• Red-legged sun squirrel, Heliosciurus rufobrachium
• Ruwenzori sun squirrel, Heliosciurus ruwenzorii
• Zanj sun squirrel, Heliosciurus undulatus