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Name : Indian jumbo squirrel or Malabar gargantuan squirrel ( Ratufa indica ) , nicknamed the rainbow squirrel
Where it live : Forests and woodlands in pockets across central and southern India
The Indian giant squirrel is also believed to be the biggest squirrel species on Earth.
What it eats : yield , leaf , barque , seeds , occasionallybird eggs and insect
Why it ’s amazing : Although the breadbasket and blazonry of Amerind jumbo squirrels are a creamy - ecru color , the quietus of their pelage is a picayune more fancy — with hues of orangish , over-embellished and red — which is why they are nicknamed " rainbow squirrels . "
These colourful critters can turn to be up to 3 foot ( 1 metre ) long — about twice the length of their American full cousin , the eastern gray squirrel(Sciurus carolinensis ) . They ’re so big they ’ve been crowned thelargest squirrel species in the worldby the Guinness World Records .
The Indian giant squirrel is known for its colorful fur.
Related : How do squirrel remember where they buried their en ?
Indian giant squirrels live solely in timber , where theybuild multiple round nest , love as drey , mellow up in the tree . They use forks in the branches to hold the nests and weave them with the theme of wax industrial plant , before make them cosy by tramp the nest with leaves . Unlike many other squirrel , Indian giant squirrelsstore intellectual nourishment in the treetop .
— Tufted ground squirrel : The Borneo rodent once believed to eviscerate deer and feast on their organs
— Takins : unknown , mass - dwelling mammal with mythical halcyon fleeces
— Wallace ’s sphinx moth : The long - tongue insect predicted by Darwin decades before it was key out
The species isgenerally solitary , fall in up to organise pairs during its twobreeding seasons — between February and March and again in August to September — contemporize with the pre- and post - monsoon seasons .
But why are Amerind colossus squirrels so colorful ? Scientists are n’t sure , but the colorful coat may help them camouflage themselves in their forest place . One subject field published in 2021 report an Amerindic ground squirrelsitting completely still in leafy branchesfor half an hour while a snake eagle hovered above . " They stay calm and quiet , " the authors wrote , add together that they spread their legs and gripped the branch to help nullify detection .
