The giant squirrel and the arboreal wildlife I saw a huge squirrel in the trees what are these and where do I see them

Wildlife guide so the giant squirrel and arboreal life a delightful overlooked corner of the wildlife The GIANT SQUIRREL yes what you saw is almost certainly the GRIZZLED GIANT SQUIRREL a large beautiful tree squirrel much bigger than a common palm squirrel (the little striped ones everywhere) the grizzled giant squirrel has a grizzled grey brown coat and a long bushy tail and is genuinely sizeable (body plus a long tail noticeably big for a squirrel) it lives in the trees (arboreal) leaping through the canopy it is a lovely sight (and it is a near threatened species so a nice one to see) there is also the DUSKY or FLAME striped jungle squirrel and the common ones but the big one you saw is the grizzled giant squirrel How big quite large for a squirrel (a substantial body and a very long bushy tail so the whole animal is impressively long) far bigger than the cheeky little palm squirrels you see everywhere Other arboreal wildlife to look for the CANOPY creatures FLYING SQUIRRELS yes there are flying squirrels (the large nocturnal gliding squirrels that glide between trees at night a special night sighting) the PRIMATES in the trees the purple faced langur (the endemic leaf monkey the primate threads) the toque macaque and the grey langur the SLENDER LORIS the tiny wide eyed nocturnal primate (a rare night sighting the loris threads) CHAMELEONS and tree lizards birds galore (the canopy birdlife barbets the endemic birds) and at night the flying foxes (fruit bats the bat threads) so the canopy and trees are full of life beyond the famous big animals Where to see the giant squirrels and arboreal life the giant squirrels are seen in forests and wooded areas and several parks and reserves (the dry zone forests the park edges wooded sanctuaries gardens near forest) keep your eyes UP in the trees in good forest habitat (national parks forest reserves Sinharaja and the rainforests the wooded areas) a good naturalist will point them out the primates and canopy birds similarly in the forests and parks the flying squirrels and loris on NIGHT walks and drives So look UP for the wonderful arboreal wildlife the big beautiful animal you saw is the GRIZZLED GIANT SQUIRREL (a large grizzled tree squirrel far bigger than the common palm squirrels and a near threatened species) and the canopy holds much more flying squirrels (gliding at night) the endemic purple faced langur and other primates the tiny slender loris (a rare night sighting) chameleons and rich birdlife see the giant squirrels in forests parks and wooded areas (keep your eyes up with a naturalist) and explore the canopy creatures on day and night outings a charming overlooked layer of the islands wildlife