Jungle Palm Squirrel

Jungle Palm Squirrel

Funambulus tristriatus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Kozhikode

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

23 Verified sightings at Kozhikode
5 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
August 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 Kozhikode?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Jungle Palm Squirrel sighting in Kozhikode on a given day, based on 23 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 about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

August

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Jungle Palm Squirrel in Kozhikode on a given day, against under 5% in March to May, the lowest months. That is one of Kozhikode's wettest months, with about 280 mm of rain against 5 mm in January.

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 Kozhikode the best place to see a Jungle Palm Squirrel?

Yes

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Jungle Palm Squirrel sightings, Kozhikode has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Kochi (India, about 30%) and Kollam (India, about 20%).

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 Kozhikode (23 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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