Deep in the lush forests of central and southern India lives a spectacular animal called the Indian Wet Squirrel, also known as the "Indian Giant Squirrel" or the "Rainbow Squirrel".
We asked Claude to introduce us to this unusual squirrel.
When mature, a wet squirrel can reach a length of more than 35 cm from the head to the starting point of the tail, and almost another meter for the tail itself - almost twice as long as its familiar cousin, the gray squirrel. It was crowned by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest squirrel species in the world .
As mentioned, size is not its only distinguishing characteristic: its fur is characterized by an abundance of shades, varying from a creamy beige on the underside to a mixture of fiery orange, rich burgundy and royal purple on the back and bushy tail.
The reason for these bright fur plumage colors is not clear, but scientists speculate that they create excellent camouflage in the forest, to avoid birds of prey.
The lone rainbow squirrel makes a bed lined with soft leaves in the top of a tree, where it sleeps safely out of reach of jungle cats and snakes.
He looks for a variety of food, which includes fruits, seeds, leaves, tree bark and sometimes bird and insect eggs.
Unlike many squirrels, this species stores its food on the tops of the stands instead of underground.
Twice a year comes the estrus season of the Indian giant squirrel - before and after the summer monsoon rains - and then it will change from a loner to one who lives in a pair for the duration of the breeding season, and uses the stored food to raise its young - a task done by the mothers, who give birth to up to three squirrels at a time.
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