Leyva, Caro, Howell, Stankowich 2026. Behavioral Ecology; Squirrel coloration dataset

Dataset from Leyva et al. The paper scored coloration on the head, body, and tail of 205 sciurid species in their three major subfamilies. In line with two independent earlier comparative studies on this taxon, we found squirrel coloration to indeed be tailored principally for protective coloration. Specifically, we uncovered associations between darker coloration in shadier, wetter, and warmer habitats (Gloger’s rule likely mediated by background matching), putative evidence of countershading in smaller and likely more vulnerable species, and conspicuous coloration being associated with larger body size, either disruptive coloration in tree canopies or a form of warning coloration. We could not uncover associations between longitudinal dorsal striping or color blocks and ecological variables.