Sciurus anomalus
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The Caucasian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) or Persian squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia. The species is traditionally said to have first been described in 1778 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in the 13th edition of Systema Naturae, and named Sciurus anomalus. However, this work was actually published in 1788, so the true first description was made by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1785. Gmelin made reference to this in the 1788 work, citing Güldenstädt as the author.
Various positions exist on the taxonomy of the Caucasian squirrel. A 2009 evaluation of the taxonomy of the Sciurus genus found it to not be closely related to the other Old World species, the red squirrel and its immediate offshoots, and to be closer to New World species. A 2020 study on the taxonomy of Sciurinae instead placed the Old World squirrels within a single genus distinct from the New World species.
Sciurus anomalus emerges in the fossil record in the Early Pleistocene, becoming common in Turkey by the Middle Paleolithic and in Lebanon by the Late Paleolithic. It spread southward into the Levant during the... Wikipedia →
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Caucasian Squirrel sighting in Istanbul on a given day, based on 82 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 5 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March–April and September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Caucasian Squirrel in Istanbul on a given day, against about 20% in February, May–August and October–December, the lowest months.
5th of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Caucasian Squirrel sightings, Istanbul ranks 5th at about 20%. The best odds are in Yerevan (Armenia, about 60%), Bursa (Turkey, about 60%) and Ankara (Turkey, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Caucasian Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Istanbul (82 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
