Squirrels don’t come much bigger than the Malabar giant variety. Weighing four times as much as a grey squirrel and much bigger than the red squirrel, this robust rodent is about the size of a domestic cat. But it’s not the Malabar giant’s size that turns heads and drops jaws, but rather its colour scheme. Meet the rainbow squirrel.
Where do rainbow squirrels live?
Endemic to India, where it is the state animal of Maharashtra in the west of the country, it has become quite a hit on social media in recent years thanks to its exquisite pelage, which will leave you in no doubt as to why it has come to be known colloquially as the rainbow squirrel.
What do rainbow squirrels look like?
While its undercarriage is a fairly standard beige, its back and flanks are adorned with bands of deep, rich reds and blues which, combined, give an overall impression of purple.
The precise function of this remarkable colouration, however, is not yet known. One possibility is that, like many colour displays, it’s involved in mate attraction. Or perhaps it’s a counterintuitive form of camouflage.
The rainbow squirrel spends most of its time in the treetops, where it is safe from predatory leopards but less so from eagles. It may be that, from above, the combination of lights and darks in its pelt mimics the patches of sun and shadow in the forest canopy.
More fascinating squirrel facts
- Red squirrel vs grey squirrel: the key differences
- Squirrel pox guide: what it is, symptoms, causes - and its deadly affect on red squirrel populations
Main image: Getty Images