Puneet Varma (Editor)

Prevost's squirrel

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Kingdom
  
Animalia

Class
  
Mammalia

Family
  
Sciuridae

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Rodentia

Genus
  
Callosciurus

Prevost's squirrel

Prevost's squirrel or Asian tri-colored squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and nearby smaller islands, with an introduced population in northern Sulawesi. They eat fruits, nuts, seeds, buds, flowers, insects and bird eggs. These squirrels carry the fruits far from the tree and drop the seeds when finished with their meal. This seed distribution away from the parent plant increases survival for the fruiting plant species.

The "typical" subspecies (for example C. p. prevostii from the Thai-Malay Peninsula) of Prevost's squirrel are among the most colourful mammals in the world with their black upperparts and tail, reddish-orange underparts, and whitish thighs and flanks. The markings in some subspecies are duller, and C. prevostii pluto from northeastern Borneo is reddish-orange below and black above (no whitish thighs or flanks).

References

Prevost's squirrel Wikipedia