Indian Palm Squirrel

Description:

Palm squirrels are about the size of rats with a bushy tail which is slightly shorter than their body. Their back is a grizzled grey-brown colour with five conspicuous white stripes, three of which run from head to tail. The two outer stripes run from the forelegs to the hind legs only. They have a creamy white belly and a tail covered with interspersed long black and white hairs. Their ears are small and triangular. Juvenile squirrels have significantly lighter coloration, which gets progessively darker as they age. Albinism is rare, but exists in this species.

Habitat:

It is found naturally in India (south of the Vindhyas) and Sri Lanka. In the late 19th century, the Palm Squirrel was accidentally introduced into Western Australia where it has since become a minor pest that is actively eradicated due to its lack of natural predators. The closely related Five-striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennantii is found in northern India but partly overlaps in range with this species.

Notes:

Spotted this in a forested area near my office