Red-legged Sun Squirrel at Cologne, 07/09/10

Heliosciurus rufobrachium

Mixed with Rufous Elephant Shrews. A very nice mix!

Hi Magauri! great shot! where were these exhibited in the zoo? did the two species interact?

Thanks! They're in a mixed glass-fronted exhibit near the exit of the HippoDom hippo/crocodile house - fairly standard small-mammal fare. I don't recall any specific interaction; with the squirrel being very much arboreal and the shrews terrestrial it may well be fairly minimal.

Only the top-tier zoos take squirrels seriously.They are real connoisseur species.The lower-end zoos get so obsessed with the charismatic megafauna that the make no serious effort on behalf of these splendid small animals.Another reason (as if any were needed) that Cologne holds a special position in my list of leading zoos.