Indian Giant Squirrel | Malabar Giant Squirrel

Indian Giant Squirrel

When visiting Satpura National park, look out not only for our celebrated mammals – tiger, leopard, gaur, deers, antelopes, and sloth bears; but do seek the trees for an unprecedented mammal of the squirrel family. The Goliath of their clan called the Indian giant squirrel is a delight to watch.

These squirrels are called by local names as Vishal Gilahari in Hindi, Malai-anil in Tamil, Kendalilu in Kannada, Malayannan in Malayalam, and Shekru in Maharashtra, where it is also the state animal.

Mostly arboreal and canopy dwellers, they build their spherical nests with leaves and twigs to avoid predation from leopards and birds of prey.  Weighing less than 3 kgs, they can easily leap up to 6 meters between trees. Their underparts are creamish and the upper body comprises maroon and black coloration. A dark bushy long tail helps balance their agile body.

They can be seen solitary or in pairs and are active during the morning and late evenings. Males stay with the female throughout the breeding season. The gestation period lasts hardly a month, and 2 to 3 young ones are born. In a few months’ time, these young squirrels start exploring trees and soon become independent dwellers.

Giant squirrels feed on fruits, nuts, jackfruit, tree bark, and even bird eggs. They disperse seeds from their fecal matter, nurturing their habitat and restoring the ecological balance. When alarmed, they have a tendency to freeze themselves or flatten themselves to the bark of a tree resembling a part of the tree itself. An excellent camouflage mechanism!

Indian Giant Squirrel Size and Comparison

Being the largest Squirrel in India, Indian Giant squirrels male and female vary in size from each other. Males are around 75 cm in length from head to tail (Head to body – 34 cm and Tail – 41cm approx) whereas females are larger being 78 cm in length from head to tail (Head to body -36 cm and Tail length – 42 cm approx)

Even the most commonly sighted Three-striped palm squirrel (Head to tail 30 cm approx) is three times smaller in size as compared to Giant squirrels.

Subspecies of Indian Giant Squirrel – India

There are four subspecies of Indian or the Malabar Giant Squirrel native to India which spread across the central and southern states.

1. Ratufa indica indica – North & central western ghats (Best seen Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu) Their back is maroon with a light, pale coloured tail and face.
2. Ratufa indica centralis – Eastern & central India (Best seen Satpura, Madhya Pradesh) Found in Satpura and Eastern ghats Ratufa Indica indica is similar to R.i.indica but smaller in size and doesn’t possess a pale tail but rather a darker tail and sometimes black rump.
3. Ratufa indica maxima – Southern western ghats (Best seen Kerala) Is a larger version of R.i.centralis exhibiting dark tail, shoulder and rump; but found further down south from Palakkad gap.
4. Ratufa indica dealbata – Southern Gujarat (Best seen – Nowhere, recent reports) And the rarest of all Ratufa indica dealbata is pale brown as compared to its counterparts and has a creamish or whitish tail, hardly sighted now in Gujarat.

A pair of these deft acrobats tend to build 3 to 4 nests to confuse the predators. In Madhya Pradesh, they are only found in Satpura.

Visit our charming lodge, Denwa Backwater Escape, in Satpura to witness these fascinating species display their unique skills.

Visit our lodges in Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura, Tadoba, and Panna to watch various fascinating species of the forests frolic in the untamed wild. Get in touch with our trip curators at Pugdundee Safaris to book your next wildlife holiday.

Our trip curators at Pugdundee Safaris are more than happy to assist you. Phone: +91-011-40132680   Email: [email protected]