At a glance
One family, four very different lifestyles
Sciuridae
The rodent family that squirrels and marmots both belong to.
Ratufa indica
The Indian giant squirrel, endemic to India’s forests.
Only two
UPSC 2023’s answer on the three squirrel statements.
2026
A Shekru sighting during India’s tiger census fieldwork.
On this page
Not Every Squirrel Lives Alike
Squirrels belong to Sciuridae, a family of rodents. Rodents have front teeth that keep growing, and gnawing helps wear those teeth down.
| Kind | Indian example | Usual setting | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm squirrel | Three-striped and five-striped palm squirrels | Gardens, farms, wooded places | Small, day-active climbers |
| Giant squirrel | Indian giant squirrel | Forest canopy, treetops | Larger; depends on connected trees |
| Flying squirrel | Indian giant flying squirrel | Forest trees | Glides on a skin flap; does not fly like a bird |
| Ground-burrowing relative | Himalayan marmot | High, open Himalayan ground | Lives in burrows, not trees |
- North-south overlap. The three-striped palm squirrel is common in southern India. The five-striped is familiar in the north. Their ranges can overlap.
- The Indian giant squirrel is much larger than a palm squirrel, and is native only to India.
A squirrel is a rodent, and its front teeth help it gnaw.
A Nest Is a Home, Not a Pantry
Many tree squirrels build leafy nests called dreys. They may also use tree holes or other sheltered spots. A Punjab study found five-striped palm squirrel nests in trees.
- The exception. A Himalayan marmot digs a burrow in the ground instead. So “all Indian squirrels nest in trees” is too broad.
- Caching is separate from nesting. A buried seed is a cache, not a nest. Some squirrels hide food in soil; others store it in trees.
- Tree storage happens too. Researchers observed Indian giant squirrels storing seeds above ground in a forest, not just underground.
Watch this trap: nesting, hiding food, and eating food are three different actions. One can happen in a tree while another happens on the ground.
Every squirrel in India nests in a tree.
Are Squirrels Vegetarian?
Plant food matters for many species. Fruits, seeds, bark, and flowers may all be eaten.
- Not strictly vegetarian. Palm squirrels can also eat small animals. One study recorded a three-striped squirrel eating spider eggs.
- The right label. An omnivore eats both plant and animal food. The mix depends on species, place, season, and available food.
A tree nest and a buried food cache serve different jobs.
Why Forests Need Squirrels
A squirrel may carry fruit or seeds away from a tree. Some seeds are dropped or left in caches, which can help plants spread. But squirrels also eat many seeds, so the result varies by species and season.
- Giant squirrels need connected branches for travel and nesting. When forests break into small patches, safe movement gets harder.
- A garden and a forest need different care. A palm squirrel may share a garden with people and eat fruit or damage a crop. A forest squirrel may rarely come near a house.
- Keep native trees and nesting space where possible. Feeding processed human food can create poor habits.
For the wider animal picture, read Wildlife in India.
All Indian squirrels store food in the same place.
What Do the Stripes Mean?
A Hindu story links a palm squirrel’s stripes with Rama’s touch, while he built the bridge to Lanka. It’s a cultural story, not a biological explanation.
- Stripe patterns are inherited traits. The three-striped and five-striped names describe visible markings.
- A word of caution. Colour alone can still be unreliable for telling difficult species apart.
Why might “Indian squirrels build burrows” be marked false, even though marmots do?
Because the statement uses “Indian squirrels” in its common, everyday sense. It means tree squirrels like the palm squirrel and the giant squirrel, not the family Sciuridae as a whole. In strict biology, the Himalayan marmot is also a squirrel and does burrow. But UPSC’s own accepted answer treats the statement in its usual, common-tree-squirrel setting, which is why it was marked false rather than true.
2026 Update: A Shekru Sighting During the Tiger Census
The Indian giant squirrel is Maharashtra’s state animal, known locally as Shekru. A 2026 field record ties directly back to the canopy-connectivity point above.
- The sighting. On 5 January 2026, forest staff recorded a Shekru near Tiger Point, Mauje Atvan, in the Lonavala range of Pune Forest Division.
- The context. It came up during transect-line fieldwork for the All India Tiger Estimation 2026, the same nationwide survey that counts tigers.
- Why it’s worth knowing. Officials treated the sighting as a bio-indicator of forest health, not a population count. A healthy Shekru sighting suggests the canopy in that patch is still well connected.
Remember: a single sighting is a sign of habitat quality, not proof of a stable or growing population. Don’t overstate what one record shows.
A 2026 Shekru sighting near Lonavala came from fieldwork for India’s tiger census, not a squirrel-specific survey.
Previous Year Question: UPSC CSE Prelims 2023, Q17
- The question. It gave three statements about Indian squirrels. They build nests by burrowing in the ground. They store food like nuts and seeds in the ground. They are omnivorous.
- The answer. (b), only two. The exam marked the burrow-nesting statement false, and treated storage and omnivory as true. View the full question →
- Read it in context. The question uses “Indian squirrels” in its common tree-squirrel sense, even though the Himalayan marmot is also a squirrel and does burrow.
UPSC 2023 marked the ground-burrow-nesting statement false for common Indian tree squirrels.
Quick Q&A
Isn’t the Himalayan marmot a squirrel too? Doesn’t that make the UPSC answer wrong?
Biologically, yes — marmots belong to the squirrel family, Sciuridae, and they do burrow. But UPSC’s accepted answer reads “Indian squirrels” in its everyday sense: common tree squirrels like the palm squirrel and giant squirrel. The exam isn’t wrong, it’s just using the word the way most people do.
Does one Shekru sighting near Lonavala mean the species is doing well in Maharashtra?
Not on its own. Officials logged it as a sign of a healthy local forest canopy. It’s not evidence of a growing statewide population. A single record is a data point, not a trend.
MCQ on Indian Squirrels
Try 6 practice questions on nesting, caching, diet, and the UPSC 2023 statements.
Question 1 of 1 Question 1 of 1 Question 1 of 1 Question 1 of 1 Question 1 of 1 Question 1 of 1
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