Funambulus sublineatus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The Nilgiri striped squirrel (Funambulus sublineatus) is a threatened species of rodent, a small squirrel (Sciuridae) from rainforests in the southern Western Ghats, including the Nilgiris, in Peninsular India. It formerly included Funambulus obscurus from Sri Lanka as a subspecies, at which point the English name of the "combined species" also was dusky striped squirrel (a name now restricted to the Sri Lankan species).
Funambulus sublineatus was scientifically described in 1838. Later it was merged with the Sri Lankan obscurus, then regarded as a subspecies of Funambulus sublineatus. In 2012, a review found that the two were highly distinct and recommended that they should be recognized as separate species.
The former range of the species, before the taxonomic split, was in both India and Sri Lanka, though the Nilgiri palm squirrel (F. sublineatus) is now restricted in distribution to the Western Ghats of India. Very little is known of this squirrel, probably the smallest in the genus weighing about 40g. Its new status as an endemic mammal to India means records need updating.
The species is confined to wet humid forests either in the Western Ghats... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Nilgiri Palm Squirrel sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 8 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and March
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Nilgiri Palm Squirrel in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May–July and October, the lowest months. Those are among Sinharaja Forest Reserve's driest months, with about 160 mm of rain a month against 490 mm in November.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Nilgiri 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.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Nilgiri Palm Squirrel sightings, Sinharaja Forest Reserve ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Horton Plains National Park (Sri Lanka, about 40%).
Same genus: Funambulus
The closest relatives of the Nilgiri Palm Squirrel that you can see in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (genus Funambulus, Palm Squirrels) are Indian Palm Squirrel (about 50%) and Layard's Palm Squirrel (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Nilgiri Palm Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (19 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.
