When John Koprowski, a squirrel expert, first saw the Malagar or Indian giant squirrel, he was blown away.
The animal was so large that the professional initially mistook it for a primate rather than a squirrel.
But it wasn’t just the magnitude that astonished John. Malabar has a distinct fur coloration.
Their fur comes in a variety of shades, including black, brown, orange, maroon, and purple!
Because the colors maroon and purple aren’t common in animals, these squirrels are unique in their use of them.
Fruits, flowers, nuts, and tree bark are all part of their diet. Some subspecies, however, can eat insects and bird eggs.
Malabar large squirrels barely walk on the ground; instead, they enjoy the forest canopy in the tree branches, leaping over 20 feet from one location to the next.
Although these creatures are not threatened, they should be safeguarded in order to avoid extinction.
The chances of sighting these squirrels aren’t particularly high. To see them, you should travel to either eastern or southern India. In addition, whether you’re in eastern or southern India, you should go deep into the forests to find them.
It’s worth viewing them, though, because they’re so different from the eastern gray squirrels and other small squirrels we’re used to seeing…