Sri Lankan striped squirrel

There are three types of squirrels in Sri Lanka that inhabit the forests, gardens and urban areas – palm squirrels, flying squirrels and giant squirrels. The most common is the palm squirrel with a distinctive strip on its back. They live in trees, usually the palm tree, although in urban areas they may live in the eaves of building roofs.

Squirrels are an integral part of our biodiversity. Their main role is the dispersal of the seeds.

The above photograph was taken in Colombo, and the photographs below were taken in Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka.

http://www.angelfire.com/planet/wildlifesl/articles/dn_squirrels.htm

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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