Small, alert, and quick, the Smith’s bush squirrel is immediately recognizable by its warm grey-brown coat, speckled or grizzled with yellow and black hairs. Its underparts are paler, often creamy or light buff, and its limbs—especially the feet—tend to have a yellowish tint, giving rise to its common name, the yellow-footed squirrel. The long, fluffy tail is banded with black, white, and buff, providing both balance and visual communication. With bright, expressive eyes and a constantly twitching nose, this squirrel radiates energy and curiosity, making it a lively presence in the trees and shrubs it inhabits.

Smith’s bush squirrels are primarily arboreal, spending much of their time in trees, but they are also comfortable on the ground. Their agility allows them to leap between branches, dash up trunks, and use thorny or tangled vegetation as both shelter and escape routes. They often create nests—called dreys—from grass, leaves, and twigs, tucked inside tree hollows or placed in dense foliage. In regions with cooler winters, these nests help regulate temperature and offer protection from predators such as snakes, birds of prey, and small carnivores.

As opportunistic omnivores, Smith’s bush squirrels have a broad, flexible diet. They feed on fruits, seeds, nuts, flowers, bark, insects, and occasionally small vertebrates or bird eggs. Their strong teeth allow them to crack hard nuts and pods, while their nimble forepaws are perfect for manipulating food. Like many squirrels, they often store food in crevices or under tree roots, though they do not rely heavily on long-term caching. Their feeding activities make them important seed dispersers, contributing to the regeneration of the woodlands and savannas they call home.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Angola

2016

Botswana

2016

DR Congo (Kinshasa)

2016

Malawi

2016

Mozambique

2016

Namibia

2016

South Africa

2016

Tanzania

2016

Zambia

2016

Zimbabwe

2016