Pallas's Squirrel, native to South and Southeast Asia, has unintentionally become a case study in invasive species. Transported as a pet or by accident, it now has feral populations in several European countries, Japan, and Argentina. Wherever it is introduced, it often displaces local squirrels and strips bark from trees, causing serious damage. In its native range, however, it is just another forest inhabitant, with no special prominence or conservation concerns.
Pallas's Squirrel is a medium-sized tree squirrel with fur highly variable depending on the population (from olive-grey to intense reddish-brown). It typically has an orange-red belly and inner sides of the legs, and a long, bushy tail.
In areas where it has been introduced, it can be confused with native squirrels. It is distinguished from these by its reddish belly and a slightly larger size than the Eurasian Red Squirrel.
Track with four fore toes and five hind toes, 3-4 cm long, showing sharp claw marks for climbing. Droppings small and elongated, 0.8-1.2 cm long, scattered under trees used for feeding. Leaves gnawed pine cones and nuts with a radial bite pattern, and builds globular nests of branches and leaves in the forks of high branches.
Subtropical and tropical forests, gallery forests and urban wooded areas. Native to South and Southeast Asia (from northeast India to Taiwan), and introduced and established as an exotic species in parts of Western Europe, Japan and Argentina.
Omnivorous: fruits, seeds, shoots, bark and occasionally eggs and insects.
Diurnal and highly arboreal, it defends a home range that can overlap with those of other individuals. It reproduces several times a year, with litters of 2-4 young.
Within its native range, populations remain stable and well-distributed. In areas where it has been introduced, Pallas's Squirrel behaves as an expanding invasive species, prompting control programmes in several European countries.
In its native range, Pallas's Squirrel faces no significant threats. Where it is invasive, it threatens native squirrels through competition and, in some regions, through bark stripping of forest and fruit trees.
Photographs by Mammaling users, published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence.
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