NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Tufted Pygmy Squirrel
Exilisciurus whiteheadi (Thomas, 1887)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Tufted Pygmy Squirrel from Trusmadi Bird Station, Tambunan, Sabah, Malaysia on October 18, 2024 at 1247 PM by Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago
Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · CC0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The tufted pygmy squirrel (Exilisciurus whiteheadi) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to highland forest in Borneo, where it can be found foraging on tree trunks. The common name of this tiny squirrel refers to its distinctive ear-tufts. It is omnivorous, with its diet consisting of a mix of insects, primarily ants, flakes of tree bark, mosses, and fruit and vegetable matter.
Wikipedia contributors, Tufted pygmy squirrel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:18:01.656344+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Exilisciurus whiteheadi (Thomas, 1887)
- Name authority
- (Thomas, 1887)
- Common name
- Tufted Pygmy Squirrel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Sciuridae
- Genus
- Exilisciurus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderSciuromorpha Brandt, 1855
- familySciuridae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
- subfamilyCallosciurinae Pocock, 1923
- genusExilisciurus Moore, 1958
- speciesExilisciurus whiteheadi (Thomas, 1887)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Exilisciurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Philippine Pygmy SquirrelExilisciurus concinnus (Thomas, 1888) | SciuridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=632350 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3DL8V. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.