Species of Thailand
Plantain squirrel
Binomial name: Callosciurus notatus, Pieter Boddaert, 1785
The plantain squirrel, oriental squirrel or tricoloured squirrel, Callosciurus notatus is a species of rodents in the family Sciuridae found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand in a wide range of habitats: forests, mangroves, parks, gardens, and agricultural areas. Fruit farmers consider them to be pests.
Its body is about 20–30 cm long with a similar-sized tail. It is greyish/brown with a chestnut belly and a black and white stripe between the two. The genus name Callosciurus means beautiful squirrels.
Its diet consists mostly of leaves and fruits, but it also eats insects and bird eggs. It is known to break open twigs that contain ant larvae to eat them. It can eat fruits much bigger than itself, such as mangoes, jackfruit, or coconuts. It is very quick and agile in trees, able to jump a few metres between trees, and rarely wanders on the ground.
Kloss's squirrel (Callosciurus albescens) is sometimes considered a subspecies.
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Scientific classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Sciuridae
- Genus
- Callosciurus
- Species
- Callosciurus notatus
Conservation status
Least Concern (iucn3.1)
Callosciurus notatus
- Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary
- Khao Phanom Bencha National Park
- Thale Ban National Park
Range map of Callosciurus notatus in Thailand
Important note; our range maps are based on limited data we have collected. The data is not necessarily accurate or complete.
Special thanks to Ton Smits, Parinya Pawangkhanant, Ian Dugdale and many others for their contribution for range data.
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