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Indian Palm Squirrel
Funambulus palmarum
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderRodentia (Rodents)
- FamilySciuridae (Squirrels)
- GenusFunambulus (Palm Squirrels)
- SpeciesFunambulus palmarum (Indian Palm Squirrel)
In 3 days >90%
311 Verified sightings at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]
201 In all 8 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted
About the Indian Palm Squirrel
The Indian palm squirrel or three-striped palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found naturally in India (south of the Vindhyas), Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. In the late 19th century, the palm squirrel was introduced to Madagascar, Réunion, Mayotte, Comoro Islands, Mauritius, and Seychelles. The closely related five-striped palm squirrel (F. pennantii) is found in northern India, and its range partly overlaps with this species.
The palm squirrel is about the size of a large chipmunk, with a bushy tail slightly shorter than its body. The back is a grizzled, grey-brown colour with three conspicuous white stripes which run from head to tail. The two outer stripes run from the forelegs to the hind legs only. It has a creamy-white belly and a tail covered with interspersed, long, black and white hair. The ears are small and triangular. Juvenile squirrels have significantly lighter coloration, which gets progressively darker as they age. Albinism is rare, but exists in this species.
The Indian palm squirrel exhibits a variety of reproductive behaviors; some display cyclical periodicity activity while others show... Wikipedia →
Sounds
Uncertain0:11
Sri Lanka · 2025
© Nick Talbot · XC1048912 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Recording0:03
India · 2017
© Antonio Xeira · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:14
Sri Lanka · 2024
© Dulyana Apoorva Wanigasooriya · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recent sightings of Indian Palm Squirrel in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 6 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 8 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vijayawada | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Puducherry | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Tiruchirappalli | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Madurai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Bengaluru | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Chennai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Kalyan-Dombivli | 🇮🇳 India |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zlín-Lešná Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Jijamata Udyaan | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Thiruvananthapuram Zoo | 🇮🇳 India |
Closest Relatives at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing an Indian Palm Squirrel in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Palm Squirrel sighting in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, based on 311 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 6 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see an Indian Palm Squirrel in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?
January–March and August
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Palm Squirrel in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, against about 60% in April–June and September–October, the lowest months. Those are among Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]'s driest months, with about 95 mm of rain a month against 310 mm in November.
What time of day is best to see an Indian Palm Squirrel?
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Palm Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Is Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] the best place to see an Indian Palm Squirrel?
3rd of 14
Of the 14 cities where we can rate Indian Palm Squirrel sightings, Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] ranks 3rd at about 70%. The best odds are in Vijayawada (India, about 80%) and Puducherry (India, about 70%).
Where does the Indian Palm Squirrel sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Palm Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (311 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
