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Black giant squirrel - RATUFA BICOLOR
Possibly Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Squirrel": "Squirrel" comes from the Middle English word
"squyrel," which came from the Greek "skiouros" for the animal.
Notice that the family name for these animals is "Sciuridae," which
may also be the derivation of our word "scurry."
Location: Southern Asia.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Tropical and temperate forests.
Description: The black giant has distinctive coloring: the coat on the underside is pale yellow, and the back is black. The ears are short and round. The feet are quite broad and have strong claws. This squirrel can reach a foot and a half in length, with another foot for the tail, and it can weigh up to four and a half pounds.
Behavior: This animal usually lives alone, but occasionally in a pair. It is arboreal and feeds on fruit, nuts, bark, insects, and birds' eggs. It frequently makes forays into coffee, banana, and fig plantations. It rarely descends to the ground, and when it does it’s only to chase away another member of its species or to pursue a female in heat. When at rest it hides in tree hollows.
Reproduction: When the mating season comes, it builds a large nest the size of an eagle's nest, in which it rears its young. Gestation lasts about one month, and the female gives birth to only one or two young.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
Or go to the Squirrel Index to study other
squirrels.
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