Ratufa affinis
Silhouette: Joseph Smit · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The cream-coloured giant squirrel or pale giant squirrel (Ratufa affinis) is a large tree squirrel in the genus Ratufa found in forests in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra (Indonesia), Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia) and nearby small islands. The species is near threatened and vulnerable to habitat degradation, and it has probably been extirpated in Singapore where the last sighting was in 1995. Reported sightings in Vietnam in 1984 are considered to be dubious.
The cream-coloured giant squirrel is one of the largest squirrels. It has a head–and–body length of 31–38 cm (1 ft 0 in – 1 ft 3 in), a tail length of 37–44 cm (1 ft 3 in – 1 ft 5 in) and weighs 875–1,500 g (1.929–3.307 lb). On average, adults of both sexes have a head–and–body length of about 34 cm (1 ft 1 in) and tail length of 42 cm (1 ft 5 in), while females weight about 1,250 g (2.76 lb) and males 1,050 g (2.31 lb).
As suggested by its name, the cream-coloured giant squirrel is typically overall cream to very light orangish-brown, while the underparts are whitish-cream. In Borneo and nearby small islands where it is the only Ratufa giant squirrel, some populations resemble cream-coloured giant... Wikipedia →
Call0:33
Malaysia · 2011
© Marc Anderson · XC1060958 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Giant Squirrel sighting in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 26 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–April, June–July and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Giant Squirrel in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, against under 5% in May and November–January, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pale Giant Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Pale Giant Squirrel sightings, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Sepilok (Malaysia, about 40%), Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 30%) and Kinabalu Park (Malaysia, about 20%).
Same family: Sciuridae
The closest relatives of the Pale Giant Squirrel that you can see in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (family Sciuridae, Squirrels) are Prevost's Squirrel (about 40%), Plantain Squirrel (about 30%) and Least Pygmy Squirrel (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pale Giant Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (23 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
