Slash-and-burn jhum cultivation in many areas of the Northeast contribute to destruction of its habitat.According to the study, the squirrel and its habitat are under threat from deforestation, fragmentation of forests, crop cultivation and over-harvesting of food, illegal trade in wildlife, and hunting for consumption.They reflect the quality and changes in environmental conditions as well as aspects of community composition. An indicator species provides information on the overall condition of the ecosystem and of other species in that ecosystem.It is considered to be a forest health indicator species.Of the roughly 1.84 lakh sq km of the squirrel’s range in Asia, about 8.5% is in India.In India, is found in the forests of Northeast and is currently found in parts of West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.Globally it is distributed through Southern China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Burma, the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java.It is found mostly in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, from plains to hills at elevations of 50 m to 1,500 m above sea level.India is home to three giant squirrel species and the other two are Indian Giant Squirrel and Grizzled Giant Squirrelwhich are found in peninsular India.Unlike the nocturnal flying squirrels, giant squirrels are diurnal (active during the day), but arboreal (tree-dwelling) and herbivorous like the flying squirrels.It is one of the world’s largest squirrel species that has a dark upper body, pale under parts, and a long, bushy tail.It is a national centre for faunistic survey and exploration of the resources leading to the advancement of knowledge on the exceptionally rich faunal diversity of the country.Headquartered at Kolkata, ZSI is a subordinate organisation of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, established in 1916. ![]() Recently, the Zoological Survey of India(ZSI), in a first-of-its-kind study, has projected that numbers of the Malayan Giant Squirrel could decline by 90% in India by 2050, and it could be extinct by then if urgent steps are not taken.
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