Indian giant squirrel

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Indian Giant Squirrel

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Ratufa
Species: R. indica
Binomial name
Ratufa indica
(Erxleben, 1777)

The Indian giant squirrel, Ratufa indica, is a large-bodied diurnal, arboreal, and herbivorous squirrel found in South Asia.[1] Also called the Malabar giant squirrel, the species is endemic to deciduous, mixed deciduous, and moist evergreen forests of peninsular India, reaching as far north as the Satpura hill range of Madhya Pradesh (approx. 22° N).[1]

The Ratufa indica has a conspicuous bipartite (and sometimes tripartite) colouring pattern.[2] The colours involved can be creamy-beige, buff, tan, rust, brown, or even a dark seal brown.[3] The underparts and the front legs are usually cream coloured, the head can be brown or beige, however there is a distinctive white spot between the ears.[2] Seven different geographical races, each distinctive in the colouration of its upper-parts, have been identified. Among these are the buff and tan Ratufa indica dealbata (Figure 1, top) of the tropical moist deciduous forests of the Surat Dangs; the seal brown, tan, and beige (and darkest) Ratufa indica maxima (Figure 2, bottom) of the tropical wet evergreen forest of Malabar; the dark brown, tan and beige (and largest), Ratufa indica bengalensis (Figure 2, top) of the tropical semi-evergreen forests east of the Brahmagiri mountains in Coorg extending up to the Bay of Bengal coast of Orissa; and the rust and buff Ratufa indica centralis of the tropical dry deciduous forests of Central India, near Hoshangabad.[3]

The Indian giant squirrel is an upper-canopy dwelling species, which rarely leaves the trees, and requires "tall profusely branched trees for the construction of nests."[1] It travels from tree to tree with jumps of up to 6 m (19.69 ft). When in danger, the Ratufa indica often freezes or flattens itself against the tree trunk, instead of fleeing.[2] Its main predators are the birds of prey and the leopard.[2]

Adult head and body length varies between 14–16 in (36–41 cm) and the tail length is approximately 2 ft (0.61 m).[4]

Adult weight - 2 kg (4.41 lb).

Native to - Forested regions of peninsular India as far north as 22° N.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Figure 1: Color plate of Indian giant squirrel subspecies Ratufa (then Sciurus) indicus dealbatus (top) and Ratufa indicus typicus (bottom) from Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 1898, 11:298-305.

Figure 2: Color plate of Indian giant squirrel subspecies Ratufa (then Sciurus) indicus bengalensis (top) and Ratufa indicus malabaricus (bottom) ibid.

[edit] Gallery

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d (Datta & Goyal 1996, p. 394)
  2. ^ a b c d Tritsch 2001, pp. 132-133
  3. ^ a b Prater 1971, pp. 24-25
  4. ^ Prater 1971, p. 198

[edit] References