Three-striped palm squirrel
The Indian palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) is a species of rodent from India and Sri Lanka. In the late 19th century, this species was introduced to Madagascar, Réunion, Mayotte, Comoro Islands, Mauritius, Seychelles and Australia, where it has since become a minor pest.
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.
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.
