Indian palm squirrel
| Indian palm squirrel | |
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| An Indian palm squirrel | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Genus: | Funambulus |
| Subgenus: | Funambulus |
| Species: | F. palmarum |
| Binomial name | |
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Funambulus palmarum (Linnaeus, 1766) |
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| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Sciurus brodei Blyth, 1849 |
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Sciurus brodei Blyth, 1849
Sciurus indicus Lesson, 1835
Sciurus kelaarti Layard, 1851
Sciurus palmarum Linnaeus, 1766
Sciurus pencillatus Leach, 1814
The Indian palm squirrel or three-striped palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found naturally in India (south of the Vindhyas) and Sri Lanka. In the late 19th century, the palm squirrel was introduced to Madagascar, Réunion, Mayotte, Comoro Islands, Mauritius, Seychelles and Australia, where it has since become a minor pest. The closely related five-striped palm squirrel, F. pennantii, is found in northern India, and its range partly overlaps with this species.
The palm squirrel is about the size of a large chipmunk, with a bushy tail slightly shorter than its body. The back is a grizzled, grey-brown colour with three conspicuous white stripes which run from head to tail. The two outer stripes run from the forelegs to the hind legs only. It has a creamy-white belly and a tail covered with interspersed, long, black and white hair. The ears are small and triangular. Juvenile squirrels have significantly lighter coloration, which gets progressively darker as they age. Albinism is rare, but exists in this species.
The gestation period is 34 days; breeding takes place in grass nests during the autumn. Litters of two or three are common, and average 2.75. The young are weaned after about 10 weeks and are sexually mature at 9 months. Adult weight is 100 g. Little is known about their longevity, but one specimen lived 5.5 years in captivity.
These squirrels eat mainly nuts and fruits. They are fairly vocal, with a cry that sounds like "chip chip chip" when danger is present. They are opportunists in urban areas, and can be easily domesticated and trained to accept food from humans. Naturally active, their activity reaches levels of frenzy during the mating season. They tend to be very protective of their food sources, often guarding and defending them from birds and other squirrels.
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Wikipedia