Malabar Giant squirrel : The canopy’s most captivating resident

With a long, plumed tail that serves as perfect balance in the high canopy, the Malabar Giant Squirrel moves through the forest with a grace that feels almost unreal. Then, quite suddenly, it appears: a vivid sweep of chestnut, burnished gold, and cream suspended among the trees, too striking to be mistaken for anything else. It is one of the rare sights in the wild that feels less like an encounter and more like a revelation. Endemic to India, it is found across the Western Ghats, the Eastern Ghats, and parts of central India, favouring mature woodland, semi evergreen tracts, and richly layered forests where the canopy remains undisturbed. It is most often observed high among tall, profusely branched trees in the early mornings and evenings, and remains a resident species in these forests. Towitnessit is to see the forest at its most expressive, elevated, vivid, and quietly extraordinary.

Species: Malabar Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica)
Habitat: Mature forests and woodlands, including tropical deciduous, semi evergreen, moist evergreen, and riparian forest habitats with tall trees.
Movement: Resident. It is a tree dwelling mammal, not a migratory species.
Best time to spot: Early mornings and evenings, when it is most active.
Where to look: High in the upper canopy, especially in tall, profusely branched trees where it feeds, rests, and builds nests.
Call: Alarm-like vocalisations and light chattering may at times be heard, though more often it is
first betrayed by movement, a sudden, vivid passage high through the canopy.