Large Asian squirrels, species, what they look like and where they live, what they eat, reproduction in nature and in captivity, natural enemies, life expectancy, population protection. The content of the article:
- Description
- Varieties
- Lifestyle
- Threat to existence
The Ratufa squirrel is a large arboreal animal of the genus Rodents, belongs to the Squirrel family, widely distributed in the tropical forests of South India, the highlands of Sri Lanka, the islands of Indonesia, in parts of China, Nepal, Vietnam, Burma and Thailand.
Description of the giant squirrel Ratuf
There is hardly a person who has never seen a squirrel. Many people know this nimble red-haired animal with long ears and a large fluffy tail from childhood, at least from Pushkin's fairy tale about Tsar Saltan: "A squirrel sings songs and gnaws nuts." His paws are strong with strong long claws, thanks to them he climbs trees well, and his sharp teeth easily snap hazelnuts.
Since ancient times, various legends and beliefs have been associated with the squirrel. Among the Japanese, it was considered a symbol of fertility, and in most European countries it symbolized unkind, destructive forces, apparently because of its red coat and agility, which were associated with the fire element.
This is one of the most common rodents on our planet. Maybe also because he easily got used to people. In city parks, fluffy pranksters are not afraid to descend from the tree and treat themselves right from the hands. This is such a gentle, peace-loving animal.
There are 48 genera of protein, they include as many as 280 species. Such a great variety of squirrels inhabits all continents with the exception of Australia and, of course, Antarctica, they are not in Madagascar, not everywhere can be seen in Africa and South America, but a vast area in Europe.
In this red kingdom, the smallest animal is only up to 7.5 cm long, our familiar lover of nuts is up to 30 cm, but there are, it turns out, very large representatives of the squirrel world. Our conversation will go about them.
The Ratufa squirrel is a thermophilic rather impressive animal that lives in the humid forests of South Asia. The largest one "stretches" up to half a meter, and with a tail, which is not less than the body, there will be a whole meter.
Such a squirrel weighs up to 3 kg, and therefore received the name giant. These tallest representatives of the squirrel kingdom are not at all like our little red-haired pranksters, who are 10 times less in weight.
Their color is not quite familiar, it combines several colors, for example, black on the back with orange, yellow or dark brown on the abdomen.
Ears also differ in their structure: a kind of small rounds, they end with a brush only in the big-tailed Ratuffa, which gives her a distant resemblance to our cute squirrels.
On the front paws, there are long hooked toes with dense pads that absorb well when jumping, and they are also gigantic, they can reach a length of 6 meters.
Varieties of Ratuf squirrels
There are 4 types of squirrels in the genus Ratuf:
- Big-tailed ratufa (Ratufa macroura) … Distributed in the highlands of Sri Lanka (translated from Sanskrit - "blessed land"), in India it is found in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and on the wooded banks of the Kaveri River. The length of the body with the head is 25-45 cm, with the tail it varies between 50-90 cm. It is considered the smallest of the giant squirrels, it is divided into three subspecies: Ratufa m. macroura, Ratufa m. Dandolena, Ratufa m. Melanochra.
- Indian Ratufa (Ratufa indica) … As the name itself indicates, it lives in India, in the southern tropical rainforests, but you can also see it in the central part of the country in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Such proteins, together with the tail, reach a length of 1 m, weighing up to 2 kg. They feed, as a rule, during the day, live in isolation in small families, each with its own color characteristics. According to them, they determine from what area this or that exotic specimen originates. There is no consensus among biologists as to how many subspecies of Indian Ratufa exist, some say about 5, others claim that there are only 4 of them, on the grounds that in the north-west of India (Gujarat state) one allegedly disappeared. There is a judgment that there are even as many as 8 of them according to the variety of colors in a particular area. There is a debate among scientists that some subspecies should be considered a species.
- Ratufa bicolor … It is widely distributed in the mountainous coniferous and tropical forests of Southeast Asia (northeastern India, Nepal, Burma, China, Vietnam, Thailand, the islands of Indonesia). The length can be much more than a meter (118 cm).
- Cream Ratufa (Ratufa affinis) … It lives in mountain forests next to the two-colored squirrel, as well as on the island of Borneo (Kalimantan) in the Malay Archipelago. Less than a meter long, weighing up to 1.5 kg. There are many subspecies of cream proteins, this is Ratufa a. Bancana, Ratufa a. Baramensis, Ratufa a. Bunguranensis, Ratufa a. Cothurnata, Ratufa. a. Ephippium, Ratufa a. Hypoleucos, Ratufa a. Insignis, Ratufa a. Polia.
The lifestyle of the giant squirrel Ratuf
All types of ratuf live in tropical rainforests, often in remote mountainous areas. They settle in trees, leave them only if absolutely necessary. They jump from branch to branch over long distances, sensing a threat, they do not run away, but freeze, as if pressed into the trunk.
Under natural conditions, large birds of prey and leopards pose a danger to them. The most active in search of food in the morning and in the evening, on a hot afternoon they have a "siesta", sitting comfortably in their shelter, squirrels rest.
The animal can be called gloomy, because it loves loneliness, rare individuals are together. As a rule, males and females find each other only during the breeding season.
Sometimes they choose a large hollow as their place of residence, more often they build it high in the crown of trees so that predators, large-sized balls-nests, do not get it. There are several of these, one is intended for sleep, others are designed for offspring.
Rodents feed on various gifts of the forest: nuts, plant seeds, leaves, mushrooms and lichens, do not disdain insects, bird eggs and even chicks, they can eat their smaller counterparts. So they have predatory tendencies.
Squirrels mate several times a year. Observation of Ratufa bicolor in the nursery showed that offspring are born in spring and autumn, in a favorable year there are up to 3 broods, in a dry year - only two.
The female bears cubs for 28-35 days, one or two naked and blind squirrels are born, the mother feeds them with milk for 2 months. Six months later, having got stronger, they become independent and are already capable of reproduction.
Threats to the existence and protection of Ratufa
Under natural conditions, giant squirrels live no more than 6 years, in open-air cages, where you do not need to spend energy looking for food, they can live up to 20.
Man is a threat to the existence of Ratuf in nature, because he hunts them for the sake of beautiful fur and meat, cuts down forests in their habitats. So, the number of Ratuf bicolor due to human activity has decreased by 30%.
And at the same time, at the state level, a person cares about the preservation of the population, which, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is under threat of extinction. To save Ratufa the big-tailed from final disappearance, she was included in the international Red Book. To preserve this species, a nature reserve was created in the Indian city of Srivilliputura, another vast protected area of giant squirrels is in the state of Maharashtra. In Europe, ratuf can be seen in zoos, for example, in the Czech cities of Brno, Ostrava or Leipzig (Germany).
Watch a video about Ratuf the Bolshoykhvostaya:
The giant squirrel Ratufa is a peaceful and trusting animal, completely harmless to humans. Due to its fur and meat, as well as deteriorating living conditions, it is threatened with extinction. To prevent this from happening, in India and other countries where it lives, effective measures are being taken to protect it. If people do not save this exotic rodent, nature will lose one more of its bright colors. The beauty of life lies in the diversity of all life on our planet!
