Just when we thought that we couldn’t find an animal cuter and more beautiful than squirrels, here comes their relative from distant India to take our breath away. Images of the Malabar Giant squirrel are taking over the Internet, because of their exotic look and beautiful colorful fur.
The Malabar Giant lives exclusively in the forests of India, away from prying eyes. She prefers living at the top of trees and eating nuts, fruits and flowers. What’s interesting about these squirrels is that they’re double the size of their grey relatives. The Malabar Giant measures up to 36 inches from head to tail – which is huge for this rodent. Even the squirrel expert John Koprowski was shocked when he first saw them. “These are giants”, he said.
But what makes these rodents unique is their beautiful fur with colors ranging from maroon and purple to orange, brown and black.
“In the shaded understory of a dense forest, the patchy colors and dark hues are a great adaptation to avoiding detection”, Koprowski said. “But when you see these in the sunlight, they show their ‘true colors’ and beautiful pelage [fur].”
Scroll down to see photos of the Malabar Giant squirrel.
