Northern Palm Squirrel

About this species

Habitat

Tropical and subtropical dry deciduous forest, montane forest to 4,000m, scrub, plantations, farmland, gardens and cities

Range

India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iran; introduced to the Nicobar Islands

The northern palm squirrel, or five-striped palm squirrel, is a semi-arboreal rodent found in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iran, and in the Andaman Islands, and introduced to the Nicobar Islands. It occurs in tropical and subtropical dry deciduous forest and montane forest up to 4,000 m, and also in scrub, plantations, grassland, farmland, rural gardens and urban areas (Wikipedia, general species account).

In India it is fairly common in cities, even large ones such as Delhi and Kolkata. Its southern limit in India is not clearly defined, with records suggesting it may reach as far as Madanapalle, and on the Western Ghats side it extends to places including Dharwar and Mysore in Karnataka. The cached account is short and gives no measurements, diet or breeding information (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)