Prevost's Squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii) lives in tropical rainforest across Southeast Asia. It feeds on fruits and seeds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Prevost's Squirrel
- The Prevost's squirrel displays a striking coat with a black back, bright reddish-orange belly, white thighs and grey-white cheeks, placing it among the most colourful mammals on Earth. Its underparts are consistently reddish-orange to rich rufous across its range. While the typical form shows this vivid pattern, several subspecies differ, and four island forms are uniquely dark and bicoloured, lacking the usual whitish markings.
- Historically as many as 44 subspecies of the Prevost's squirrel were named, but recent taxonomic work has dramatically reduced that figure. In the 2005 Mammal Species of the World only six subspecies were recognised, while the 2012 Squirrels of the World listed 32. The taxonomic picture remains especially tangled in Borneo, where no recent detailed review has clarified how many distinct forms truly exist.
- When a Prevost's squirrel finds a durian such as Durio graveolens, it will pick the fruit and carry it away from the tree before eating. After finishing the meal it discards the seeds far from the parent plant, a behaviour that spreads the seeds across the forest floor. This seed distribution away from the parent increases the chances of seed survival for the fruiting plant species.
- Beyond its native forests, the squirrel has an introduced population in northern Sulawesi. In its original range it inhabits the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and nearby smaller islands, and it can also survive in somewhat disturbed habitats such as plantations and gardens. This ability to use altered landscapes shows the species can establish outside its original range.
- Females carry the embryos for about seven weeks before giving birth to just one to three kits. The newborns are reared in a nest constructed from sticks, bark and grass, providing shelter high in the canopy. The species is active during the day and mostly stays in trees, only occasionally moving on the ground, so the nest is built where the mother can readily tend her young.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSoutheast Asia
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietFruits and seeds
About the Prevost's Squirrel
In the lush, emerald canopies of Southeast Asia, the Prevost's Squirrel dances through the trees with an effortless elegance, its slender form weaving in and out of the dappled sunlight that filters through the leaves. With a twitch of its bushy tail and a flick of its ear, this agile creature navigates the intricate network of branches with a precision that belies its small size, pausing only to survey its surroundings with bright, inquisitive eyes. As it leaps from tree to tree, the Prevost's Squirrel embodies the very essence of tropical forest life, a whirlwind of energy and curiosity that brings joy and vibrancy to its surroundings.
Hear the Prevost's Squirrel, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
.jpg?width=1280)