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First encounter with Cream-coloured Giant Squirrel at Panti Forest

on 28th December 2015

“I had a memorable encounter while looking for birds with friends on 14 Dec 2015 at Panti forest (Johor, Malaysia). My friend, Mr Loo Hin Chong first caught sight of the elegant Cream Coloured Giant squirrel (Ratufa Afinis Afinis), the original pale form, high up the canopy (Picture 1, above). It took my breath away for a few seconds before my senses kicked in to quickly snap photos of this beautiful creature. Fortunately for us, the squirrel stayed at the same location for a good 5 minutes, providing various poses for us.

“History has it that Sir Stamford Raffles was the first person to discover and document the original pale form in 1822 in Singapore (Source: Ecologyasia.com). I am sure he had the same reaction as me when he saw it for the first time. Picture 2 (above) shows the original painting of this squirrel during that era and it belongs to Natural History Drawings, The Complete William Farquhar Collection. Unfortunately, this once common squirrel has gone extinct in Singapore.

“Picture 3 (above) shows the subspecies which has predominantly dark upper parts and pale underparts, with orange patches on its cheeks and front legs. This photo which clearly shows the sheer size and whole length of this squirrel, was taken by Mr Loo Hin Chong at Penang Botanical Gardens a few years ago.

The head to body length of this squirrel can reach 38cm and the tail can reach 44cm. This squirrel can weigh up to 1.5kg. It is mainly arboreal and feeds on forest seeds, leaves and barks. Its range extends from Southern Thailand, Malay Peninsular to Borneo (Source: Ecologyasia.com).

“In Picture 1, we can clearly see the pale creamy colour covering the entire length of the species Ratufa Afinis Afinis, with tinge of orange hues on the flanks, shoulders, limbs and crown. Another interesting feature is the underside of the bushy tail, which clearly shows the central bony structure. We can also quickly see that the tail is much longer than its body. The eyes are relatively large but the ears are small and round.

“In Picture 4 (above), the squirrel is posing with its body twisted backwards. We can clearly see the top side of the bushy tail which is much darker than other parts of the body, except the muzzle. The side profile of the head shows its flat forehead that tapers sharply near the nose.

“In Picture 5 (above), it shows how flexible the body can be, with the squirrel either sniffing or scratching its back, but I am not sure what this behavior is.

“In Picture 6 (above), it shows the typical sitting or resting position of this squirrel, with its tail hanging down (Source: Animal Diversity Web).

“Unlike other tree squirrels, the Cream-coloured Giant Squirrel does not sit upright with its tail arched over its back while feeding; instead, it balances itself with its hind feet on a branch so that its hands are free to control its food. In this position the axis of the squirrel’s body is held at right angles to the support, with its head and forequarters on one side of the branch, and the tail as a counterweight on the other side (Source: Wikipedia). I don’t have a photo of the cream coloured giant squirrel exhibiting this behavior. However, I do have a photo of a Plantain squirrel feeding this way, see Picture 7 (above).

“In conclusion, it was pure delight in observing and photographing this huge elegant creature.”

Thong Chow Ngian & Loo Hin Chong
Singapore
23rd December 2016

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

5 Responses

  1. Hi,

    The 3rd photo does not show a sub-species of Ratufa affinis (Cream-coloured Giant Squirrel) but the other giant squirrel species in Malaysia, Ratufa bicolor (Black Giant Squirrel).

    Subaraj

  2. Dear Slow, thank you for that interesting insight.Maybe that specimen in the former Raffles Biodiversity museum was gotten that way. Cheers.

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