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There may be a couple of endemic squirrel species wandering from islands of Mindanao, Southern Visayas and Palawan but none of these in the main island of Luzon. However, rampant sightings are alarmingly common nowadays fearing that it may now threaten the population of avian species. These sightings at the La Mesa Eco Park are thought to have been introduced locally through the pet trade.
Spotted on Jan 6, 2019
Submitted on Jul 6, 2019
3 Comments
That would be great for a native species to come back Ma'am Lauren. We're just worried about the flourishing of introduced species which might disrupt the ecosystem in this park. Same area also includes the home of an endemic Ashy Ground Thrush which was declared VU (vulnerable) in The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017.
Our native squirrel population is making a comeback of sorts. We've had 1 squirrel for 3 years that rotated around through all the woods and gardens. When it's with me, it drops chewed cones, cone debris and branches all over the place. Ours are scruffy little grey squirrels with thin, scarcely visible tails. This year we have 3 and lots of round pine needle nests. People used to kill anything that moved and finding a native animal was rare.
Great picture!