Sciurus yucatanensis
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Yucatan squirrel (Sciurus yucatanensis), originally named the Yucatan gray squirrel, also once named the Campeche squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus found in the Yucatán Peninsula and adjacent areas. It is native to northern Belize, northeastern Guatemala, and southeast Mexico.
The Yucatan squirrel lives in dry deciduous and evergreen forests, semiarid pine-oak woodlands, and secondary forest growing in formerly logged areas. They are found in lowlands below an altitude of 750 metres (2,460 ft). They are active during the day and rest during the night, spending most of their time in trees. They are most active in the early morning, but may be seen sunning on a branch later in the day.
Their dreys (or nests), to be found in branches high up in the trees, are built from leaves and twigs. Their food consists of soft fruit, nuts and seeds, whilst Reid in 2009 concluded that their main diet consists of flowers, buds, and shoots. Females generally give birth to two or three young during the April to August dry season.
They are predated by birds of prey, wild cats and dogs, procyonids, primates, and snakes. The Yucatan squirrel... Wikipedia →
Recording0:15
Mexico · 2017
Donají Graham · iNaturalist · CC0
Recording1:46
Mexico · 2021
© elpatitojuan · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:17
Mexico · 2025
© Ermilo López-Cobá · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Papiliorama | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yucatán Squirrel sighting in Tikal National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 11 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April and October
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Yucatán Squirrel in Tikal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, August and November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yucatán Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Yucatán Squirrel sightings, Tikal National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí (Guatemala, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yucatán Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Tikal National Park (27 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
