Tufted ground squirrel
Rheithrosciurus macrotis (Gray, 1857)
The tufted ground squirrel (Rheithrosciurus macrotis) is a species in the family Sciuridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 1.23 kg to 1.35 kg. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.
Quick facts about the tufted ground squirrel
- Weight
- 1.23 kg – 1.35 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Frugivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the tufted ground squirrel live?
Not recorded
What is the tufted ground squirrel?
The tufted ground squirrel or groove-toothed squirrel (Rheithrosciurus macrotis) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is the sole species in the genus Rheithrosciurus. It is found only on the island of Borneo. Confirmed elements of its diet include nuts, seeds and insects, for which it has been filmed foraging on the forest floor.
From the Wikipedia article “Tufted ground squirrel” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tufted_ground_squirrel&oldid=1384639258), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the tufted ground squirrel endangered?
The tufted ground squirrel is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the tufted ground squirrel classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderRodentia
- familySciuridae
- genusRheithrosciurus
- SpeciesRheithrosciurus macrotis (Gray, 1857)
Synonyms Sciurus macrotis
Other names and names in other languages (16)
- Great-eared squirrelEnglish
- Groove-toothed squirrelEnglish
- Groove-toothed squirrelEnglish
- veverka péřováCzech
- BorneohörnchenGerman
- Borneo-HörnchenGerman
- borneontupsuoravaFinnish
- סנאי קרקע מצויץHebrew
- Bajing-Tanah Ekor-TegakIndonesian
- フサミミクビオリスJapanese
- ØretoppekornNorwegian Bokmål
- Borneo-eekhoornDutch
- kistkowiec frędzlouchyPolish
- Esquilo-vampiroPortuguese
- Кистеухая белкаRussian
- 溪松鼠Chinese
Relatives of the tufted ground squirrel
Other species in the same family Sciuridae.
Red squirrel
Sciurus vulgaris
Siberian flying squirrel
Pteromys volans
Eastern gray squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
Alpine marmot
Marmota marmota
Siberian chipmunk
Tamias sibiricus
Groundhog
Marmota monax
CompareTufted ground squirrel vs Red squirrelTufted ground squirrel vs Siberian flying squirrelTufted ground squirrel vs Eastern gray squirrelTufted ground squirrel vs Alpine marmot
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the tufted ground squirrel?
An adult tufted ground squirrel weighs 1.23 kg – 1.35 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the tufted ground squirrel endangered?
The tufted ground squirrel is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
What kind of animal is the tufted ground squirrel?
The tufted ground squirrel (Rheithrosciurus macrotis) belongs to the family Sciuridae in the order Rodentia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Tufted ground squirrel (Rheithrosciurus macrotis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/tufted-ground-squirrel
“Tufted ground squirrel (Rheithrosciurus macrotis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/tufted-ground-squirrel.
@misc{tufted_ground_squirrel_2026,
title = {Tufted ground squirrel (Rheithrosciurus macrotis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/tufted-ground-squirrel},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}