A sneak peek into the world of the bushy-tailed arboreal rodents.

As published in Nature inFocus on 20 January, 2022.

The word squirrel has its origins in the Greek word skiouros which stands for ‘bushy tails’. 

The relatively small creatures that are often seen scurrying up and down the trees in our backyard belong to the rodent family. The same family that also includes mice, rats and porcupines! Squirrels are further divided into tree squirrels, ground squirrels and flying squirrels, among others. There are about 268 species in the squirrel family, but we are here today to talk about just three of them—the giant squirrels of India.

Giant squirrels take their titles seriously. While the ubiquitous Indian Palm Squirrel weighs about 100 grams, giant squirrels weigh about a kilogram or more! India is home to the Indian Giant Squirrel, the Black Giant Squirrel and the Grizzled Giant Squirrel. While they share several attributes with their other squirrel counterparts, they are also unique in their own way, size notwithstanding. So here is a quick rundown of some facts about these rodents that love trees, fruits and most importantly, forests!

Head over to Nature inFocus to read the compete story.