Thai National Parks

Species of Thailand

Prevost's squirrel

Callosciurus prevostii

Anselme Gaƫtan Desmarest, 1822

Prevost's squirrel or Asian tri-colored squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and nearby smaller islands, with an introduced population in northern Sulawesi. They eat fruits, nuts, seeds, buds, flowers, insects and bird eggs. These squirrels carry the fruits far from the tree and drop the seeds when finished with their meal. This seed distribution away from the parent plant increases survival for the fruiting plant species.

The "typical" subspecies (for example C. p. prevostii from the Thai-Malay Peninsula) of Prevost's squirrel are among the most colourful mammals in the world with their black upperparts and tail, reddish-orange underparts, and whitish thighs and flanks. The markings in some subspecies are duller, and C. prevostii pluto from northeastern Borneo is reddish-orange below and black above (no whitish thighs or flanks).

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Scientific classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Rodentia
Family
Sciuridae
Genus
Callosciurus
Species
Callosciurus prevostii

Conservation status

Least Concern (iucn3.1)

Least Concern (iucn3.1)

Photos

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Range Map