Three-striped palm squirrel , Indian palm squirrel, Three-striped palm squirrel
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.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Indian palm squirrel is a species of rodent native to India and Sri Lanka. It is about the size of a large chipmunk, with a bushy tail slightly shorter than its body. The back is a grizzled, grey-brown color with three conspicuous white stripes that 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.
Indian palm squirrels are found in India (south of the Vindhyas) and Sri Lanka. They live in tropical dry forests, rainforests, mangrove forests, grasslands, scrub, parks, gardens, and urban areas.
Indian palm squirrels are solitary and only come together during the breeding season. They are active during the day spending their time both in trees and on the ground. Indian palm squirrels are busy and fairly vocal creatures, producing a cry that sounds like "chip chip chip" when danger is present. They are usually very protective of their food sources, often guarding and defending them from birds and other squirrels. Unlike some other species of squirrel, Indian palm squirrel do not hibernate. They are opportunists in urban areas and can be easily tamed and trained to accept food from humans.
Indian palm squirrels are omnivores. They feed mainly on nuts and fruits but will also eat seeds, insects, small mammals and reptiles, eggs, and even sometimes chicks of birds.
Indian palm squirrels breed in autumn. They become extremely active during this time and chase each other producing mating calls. After the gestation period of about 35 days, females give birth to 2 or 3 young in grass nests. The pups are born blind, naked, and helpless. They are weaned after about 10 weeks and become reproductively mature at 9 months of age.
There are no major threats to Indian palm squirrels at present.
According to IUCN, the Indian palm squirrel is locally common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.
