Family of the Week: The Carnivorous Squirrels
The family Regisciuridae are close in resemblance to modern squirrels, but they are not at all related. These animals actually derived from dormice. Dormice are even more aggressive hunters than any other rodents today, as they also feed on a variety of insects as well as vegetation. Most species of Regisciurids are good sized animals, with long, bushy tails. They have long legs, and they possess retractable claws like cats. The incisors are designed much like those of the carnivorous rats (family: Caromuridae). Prey is often killed by biting them on the back of the neck and breaking the vertebrae, while at the same time, grasping with the claws. The primary food is any form of meat, whether they hunted the prey themselves or scavenged from another predator. Prey is mostly detected by sight and hearing, which are very acute senses in these animals. They are all diurnal hunters, and vary in size. The smallest species in the family are those of the genus Microsciuropsis . The la...