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What is a rainbow squirrel?
SQUIRRELS DON’T COME MUCH BIGGER than the Malabar giant variety. Weighing four times as much as a grey squirrel, this robust rodent is about the size of a domestic cat. But it’s not the Malabar giant’s size that turns heads and drops jaws.
Endemic to India, where it is the state animal of Maharashtra in the west of the country, it has become quite a hit on social media in recent years thanks to its exquisite pelage, which will leave you in no doubt as to why it has come to be known colloquially as the rainbow squirrel.
While its undercarriage is a fairly standard beige, its back and flanks are adorned with bands of deep, rich reds and blues which, combined, give an overall impression of purple. The precise function of this remarkable colouration, however, is not yet known. One possibility is that, like many
