Jungle Palm Squirrel

Jungle Palm Squirrel

Funambulus tristriatus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Kochi

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

147 Verified sightings at Kochi
5 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Jungle Palm Squirrel

The jungle palm squirrel, jungle striped squirrel, or Western Ghats squirrel (Funambulus tristriatus) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae which is endemic to India. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, but it is tolerant to habitat changes and is also common in tea plantations in the Western Ghats. It is confined to forests with tall trees along the west coast of the Indian Peninsula. This confinement has led the jungle palm squirrel to be considered a pest on cacao, mangos, grapes, and sapota, plants that commonly grow in the type of forest.

The ratio between males and females is not split evenly; males have been reported to have a larger population share. Potential factors for the uneven sex ratio include differences in "rate of persistence, mortality, dispersal, and predation pressure".

Advani, Ranjan; Sujatha, A. (1984). "Body weights, sex ratio and population structure of the Western ghat squirrel, Funamhulus tristriatus". Proceedings: Animal Sciences. 93 (5): 491–496. doi:10.1007/bf03186296. S2CID 129830888.

Kumara, Honnavalli N.; Singh, Mewa (2006). "Distribution and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording1:15

India · 2024

© Seema Merchant · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Recording0:07

India · 2025

© 🪶🐾🍀Nandan Sreejith🦌🍄🌍 · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:20

India · 2021

© Aravind_PS · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kozhikode 🇮🇳 India
~40%
2 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
~30%
3 Kollam 🇮🇳 India
~20%
4 Mumbai 🇮🇳 India
~10%
5 Pune 🇮🇳 India
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Jungle Palm Squirrel in Kochi?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Jungle Palm Squirrel sighting in Kochi on a given day, based on 147 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 5 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Jungle Palm Squirrel in Kochi?

April, August and October–December

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Jungle Palm Squirrel in Kochi on a given day, against about 20% in February and March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Jungle Palm Squirrel?

Between 4 and 7 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Jungle Palm Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Kochi the best place to see a Jungle Palm Squirrel?

2nd of 5

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Jungle Palm Squirrel sightings, Kochi ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Kozhikode (India, about 40%).

Where does the Jungle Palm Squirrel sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Jungle Palm Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Kochi (147 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.

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