About
The Prevost’s squirrel is a tree squirrel of Southeast Asia whose genus name means “beautiful squirrel.” It’s brownish-red, black, and white bands make it recognizable and attractive.
In the wild, a Prevost’s squirrel eats what is available in its forest home: fruit, nuts, seeds, buds, flowers, and sometimes insects and bird eggs. The squirrels play an important role in distributing seeds across the forest as they travel, which they can eliminate undigested or discard from fruit.
Prevost’s squirrels mainly live solitarily or in small families during breeding times. Adults are able to produce babies at one year of age, and litters can include 1-4 infants up to three times a year, year-round. Like many rodents, Prevost’s squirrels are born without fur or teeth and with their eyes shut. However, they grow up fast. Young squirrels will explore away from tree nests and parents at as early as six weeks old. Adults can vary in size up to the range of the Eastern gray squirrels found in North America, but they’re also commonly found in smaller sizes, down to half the size of a gray squirrel.
The Prevost’s tail is flat with short hair and can be used to communicate with other squirrels through position and movement. These rodents also communicate with a variety of squeaks, whistles, and calls, sometimes very loudly. In fact, in cases of danger, they’re known to have three different alarm sounds, depending on the type of threat: one for aerial, one for ground, and one specifically for snakes!
Prevost’s squirrels are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. At night, they sleep in nests of leaves and twigs, usually built in tree hollows or on extra wide branches. At the Zoo, you can find them in the ambassador animal area, near the nursery in the Winnick Children’s Zoo.
Habitat
Forests of Southeast Asia
Diet
Fruit, nuts, seeds, buds, flowers, and sometimes insects and bird eggs.
Physical Characteristics
The Prevost’s squirrel has distinctive brownish-red, black, and white bands of fur and a flat tail with short hair. Adults can vary in size up to the range of the Eastern gray squirrels found in North America, but they’re also commonly found in smaller sizes, down to half the size of a gray squirrel.
Location Within the Zoo
You’ll find this animal in the Children’s Zoo. See Zoo Map.
