Sri Lanka Palm-Squirrel (Funambulus Palmarum)

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Sinhalese: Lena

Tamil: Anil, Sinna anil

Description: There are 4 races of this Palm-Squirrel each slightly different in color and size. The overall length varies between 25 and 35 cm, and on average the males are slightly larger than the females. There are two other species of similar small striped squirrel which are much darker in color and are only found in the thick forests of the wet zone.

Distribution: Found throughout the island in towns or woodlands, but not the thick wet zone forests.
Habits: This squirrel is entirely diurnal and solitary. They seem to prefer living in town or village gardens to the open countryside. All they seem to need are trees, on which they can run up and down with remarkable speed. They are often seen feeding on the ground with a party of Common Babblers (Turdoides affinis). Their food consists of nuts, seeds, fruit, bark, flowers and young shoots and occasionally insects. In captivity they have been known to live for 5 years, but in the wild it is probably 3 or 4 years.

Breeding: The Gestation period is about 6 weeks and 2 or 3 young are born in a large untidy nest made of bark, coir and other fiber with an entrance in the side. It is placed in the crown of a palm tree or often in the roof of a building. The young are born blind and remain in, or around, the nest until they can fend for themselves.

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