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The call which has a ventriloquistic effect is often heard throughout the
night. Hides during the day in tree holes or among thick foliage on trees at
considerable height. The parachute which enables it to glide between trees
consists of a membrane stretching between the legs. Found throughout the
forested area of Maharashtra. It lives mainly on leaf buds and fruits.
Three species of Palm squirrels of the genus Funambulus are found in
the State. The Three-striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus palmarum is
particularly common around houses in the countryside and is one of the
animals most often seen and heard. It feeds largely on fruits but is also
known to eat termites and occasionally eggs of birds. The Five-striped
Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennanti the northern counter-part of
palmarum is known from Bombay and Salsette Islands and is said to
extend to Dharwar.Ithas a low chirruping call quite different to that of the
Three-striped Palm Squirrel but in other habits they are similar.
The Jungle Striped Squirrel Funambulus tristriatus has a softer and
musical call than palmarum and is found in forested areas of the Western
Ghats in Maharashtra and further south. In forest villages of Kanara, they
are as common as are Three-striped Squirrels in more urban surroundings.
The Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica is a purely forest species found in the
Western Ghats from the extreme south to the Dangs in Gujarat and also in
the forests of peninsular India south of the Ganges. Several races based on
coloration have been described. Giant Squirrels keep to the summit of high
trees and seldom come to the ground. They are extremely agile in their
movements and their loud rattling call is a distinctive indication of their
presence in a Jungle.
The Porcupines, family Hystricidae, the largest of Indian Rodents, are
easily recognized by their quills which are hair modified into spines. The
Indian Porcupine Hystrix indica prefers rocky country but adapts itself to
other situations and is found in forests and open country of moist and dry
areas. By day it shelters in caves or in burrows. They are extremely
destructive to crops.
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