Ratufa indica
Silhouette: Joseph Smit · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Indian giant squirrel or Malabar giant squirrel (Ratufa indica) is a large multi-coloured tree squirrel species endemic to forests and woodlands in India. It is a diurnal, arboreal, and mainly herbivorous squirrel. This species is endemic to India, with sections of its distribution in the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats and Satpura Range as far north as Madhya Pradesh (approximately 22° N). It is found at altitudes of 180–2,300 m (590–7,550 ft) in tropical deciduous, semi-deciduous (where often utilizing denser riparian growth), and moist evergreen forests and woodlands. In general, its distribution is fragmented because it is intolerant of habitat degradation. The Indian giant squirrel generally nests in taller trees with a mean height of 11 m (36 ft) (±3 m (10 ft) SD) in order to avoid predators.
The Indian giant squirrel is one of the largest squirrels, with a head–and–body length of 25–50 cm (10–20 in), a tail that is about the same or somewhat longer, and a weight of 1.5–2 kg (3–4 lb), although rarely up to 3 kg (7 lb). Average for both sexes is about 36 cm (1 ft 2 in) in head–and–body length, 45 cm (1 ft 6 in) in tail length and... Wikipedia →
Recording0:22
India · 2022
© Seema Merchant · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
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India · 2025
© Aditya Satish · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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India · 2021
© Aravind_PS · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thrissur | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nehru Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Giant Squirrel sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 52 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March and September–October
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Giant Squirrel in Periyar National Park on a given day, against about 20% in June, the lowest month.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Giant 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.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Indian Giant Squirrel sightings, Periyar National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Mudumalai National Park (India, about 60%) and Nagarhole National Park (India, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Giant Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Periyar National Park (52 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.
