Tufted Ground Squirrel in Brunei

The Tufted Ground Squirrel is a very large, very rare squirrel endemic to Borneo. Records are from forested areas throughout Borneo apart from peat swamp forest. There are two sub-species. In Brunei, Sarawak and Kalimantan this squirrel has grey fur on the back. In Sabah the back fur is reddish brown. Because this squirrel is rarely seen regularly at the same site it is believed to be locally nomadic searching for fruiting nut trees. The preferred diet is large hard nuts such as Lithocarpus and Castanopus (Stone oaks and chestnuts in the family Fagaceae) and Canariums (Pili Nit, Kembayu in the family Lauraceae). Illustration by Karen Phillipps.