Squirrel! - Observation of the Week, 9/26/23

Our Observation of the Week is this Prevost's Squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii), seen in Malaysia by @dixonlau!

Last year, Dixon Lau, who was born in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, took a road trip that included a stop at Similajau National Park. It was at this park that he saw an adult male Black Hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus) chased from its perch by the squirrel you see above.

“The squirrel photographs had been resting on my hard drive for over a year until recently,” says Dixon, until he shared some of his squirrel photos with his friend Hobart WQH (@hobostew), who suggested to Dixon that he post the photo to iNat.

Prevost’s squirrels range through the Thai-Malay Peninsula and on various islands in southeast Asia, including Borneo and Sumatra. They’re pretty big, at about 20-27 cm (8-11 in) in body length (not including the tail) and mostly stick to trees, where they feed on plants and, occasionally, insects.

“I've always been interested in photography since I was a child, but I've never taken it seriously,” says Dixon (above).

Today, I am an avid wildlife photographer and observer, with a special interest in birds. In my spare time, I like to be outside and observe nature. At the same time, I strive to film wildlife behavior in their natural habitats wherever feasible.

Unawareness of a squirrel may pique the interest of some people, and it may also aid in scientific community studies of this animal. Since [Hobart’s suggestion], I've become more eager to submit my discoveries of various wildlife species to iNaturalist. I'm hoping someone finds my post useful in some manner.

- you can see Dixon's wildlife videos on YouTube.

- Prevost's squirrels are noted for having a variety of color patterns. Check out the different patterns on iNat!

Posted on September 26, 2023 09:47 PM by