The Indian giant squirrel is appropriately named as it is three times the size of the common eastern gray squirrel. They can reach a length of 40 inches, counting its two-foot tail, and weigh around four pounds.

Their beautiful coats are usually a two-to-three-toned combination of red, tan, maroon, or brown. The Indian giant squirrel’s underparts, legs, and tail tip are usually cream-colored with a white spot between its round ears.

Indian giant squirrels are made for life in the trees. Their two-foot tail provides excellent balance and their strong hind legs allow them to jump up to 20 feet from tree to tree. The Indian giant squirrel’s multi-colored coat grants them some camouflage from leopards and birds of prey. If threatened, a giant squirrel will flatten itself to a tree to appear like a passing shadow.

Females and males look indistinguishable except for the three sets of mammae on the females.

The Indian giant squirrel is a large tree squirrel that can be found in parts of South Asia. They prefer moist forests with lots of branches, such as deciduous and evergreen forests. There are five recognized subspecies scattered throughout the forests of peninsular India.

Indian giant squirrels are active during the early morning and evening. Their omnivorous diet consists of fruit, nuts, insects, bird eggs, and tree bark. It’s not uncommon to see these critters eating while they are hanging from a branch by their hind legs. These giant squirrels play a big role in upkeeping the native vegetation by dispersing seeds as it forages.

Mating season for the Indian giant squirrel is through October to January. Males will compete to mate with females first to have a better chance of reproductive success. Female Indian giant squirrels build several nests of twigs and leaves throughout their territory. The mothers will remain pregnant for a little under a month, eventually giving birth to a single pup that is blind and furless. After six months, the babies will be able to go out on their own.