Rodent Spotlight: Indian Giant Squirrel

I've been considering doing this for a long time now. It's been quite a while since I did a Rodent Spotlight, but I knew I had missed a few of them. In last week's spotlight for the brown palm civet, I mentioned that the creature often hijacked the nest of the Indian giant squirrel. Well, as it turns out, the Indian giant squirrel is really awesome! So, welcome back to the first Rodent Spotlight since June of 2015.

Is the Indian giant squirrel really a giant? Compared to the eastern gray squirrel, not exactly. The Indian giant squirrel has a body length of 14 inches which is larger by 2 inches. Where the creature shines is its tail which is a whopping 2 feet long. This tail is so long that most of the pictures I found showed the tail hanging from the branch it was sitting on. So, by tail, the Indian giant squirrel wins the size contest by a large degree.

Despite having an incredibly long tail, it is still very nimble when running along the tree branches. Most squirrels have to jump from branch to branch, but some can jump father than others. This particular species of squirrel can leap a distance of 20 feet. That is pretty incredible!

Like many herbivores, the Indian giant squirrel has to deal with a number of predators. Even though they are incredible runners, this squirrel tends to just flatten itself down to its branch and stay perfectly still. It does this a lot, and it rather fits into its personality. It is a very shy and timid animal that really doesn't like exposing itself to anyone. This trait makes the squirrel difficult to find and photograph.

The thing that really blows my mind about this creature is its various color schemes. Creamy-beige, tan, rust, and brown. These colors can be combined in some very brilliant shades and designs. I find them very fun to look at. These descriptions do not really do the creature justice, so I recommend giving the attached images a good look-through.

Another thing that distinguishes the Indian giant squirrel are their nests--yes, the same nests stolen by the civets. They make these very large globe-shaped nests made out of twigs and leaves. They usually make a number of these nests, and this is probably a good idea if they are going to continue being stolen. I imagine these nests would not only be roomy but even warm in the colder months.

I don't know of any fiction for the Indian giant squirrel, but I think there should be with how lovely they look. Personally, I find it rather endearing that they are so brilliantly colored yet so entirely shy. When I look at them as characters, I see a race of people who are entirely sweethearted and wonderful; however, they are worried that bad people will take advantage of them. They do not trust anyone. Convincing them to trust you is hard, but I am sure it would be rewarding in the long run. I really like them.

So, did you enjoy the return of Rodent Spotlight? Remember, that's how this whole thing started. Next week, we'll move on to another fun animal. Look forward to it!

Thank you for reading my blog. If you enjoyed it, you can comment below or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Chipper chip chip!

Avoiding Predator

Nest