Photo of Indian Palm Squirrel in a Garden
Indian Palm Squirrel, or Squirrel as we usually call them, look cute when they go about doing their activities of crawling up and down the threes moving swiftly to find their food. Especially the way the would sit up and hold their food and eat it taking quick bites. Squirrels mainly feed on nuts and fruits and can be very noisy, especially when they sense danger. It’s equally amazing how the squirrels can get photographed.
I was not aware of the mention of Squirrels in Mythology and found out about the same on Wikipedia while reading more about squirrels. Posting the excerpt from what I read:
Squirrels are considered sacred in India and are not to be harmed. They are even fed by many Hindu families, mainly because of their association with Lord Rama.
A legend explains the stripes on the back of most of the squirrels. During the construction of the Rama Setu (bridge) at Rameswaram by Lord Rama and the Vanara Sena, a little squirrel also contributed in its own little way. It rolled in the beach sand and then ran to the end of the bridge to shake off the sand from its back (chanting Lord Rama’s name all along).
Lord Rama, pleased by the creature’s dedication, caressed the squirrel’s back and ever since, the Indian squirrel carried white stripes on its back, which are believed to be the mark of Lord Rama’s fingers. Lord Rama and the squirrel are mentioned in one of the hymns of the Alvars.
One more fact about Indian Palm Squirrel is that unlike the other species of Squirrels, this one doesn’t hibernate. It’s also a known fact that squirrels in urban areas can be domesticated and trained to accept food from humans.
Video of an Indian Palm Squirrel in a Garden.
Photos of Indian Palm Squirrel
Some shot in our Garden at Deonar, Mumbai and some from Ellora Caves, Aurangabad.
That’s a lovely squirrel, super quote! When I think of squirrels, the first thing that comes to mind is Ice Age movie! lol! I love that movie, especially the squirrel scenes. And why are they so obsessed with acorns, btw? haha. Now I wanna watch that acorn movie part again! lol.
I didn’t know that even squirrels are sacred in India, this is interesting to learn. The only animals that I know have great significance in that country are cows and rats. So the Indian Palm squirrel is the only one among the squirrels that doesn’t hibernate? Why is that? I gotta say it looks cute.
What???? How come un weren’t aware of the Ramayana connection with sqirrels??!!! Awesome shots. I love these fellas. I feed them often and its so much fun to watch & photograph them esp when they’re eating. And their voice always amazes me – how can such a loud voice come out of that tiny being. I did a post too long back with my shots of them from my backyard!
Yes 🙁 I wasn’t aware. But now I know :-p Thanks.
Lovely photos you got there! Learning something about squirrels was quite interesting. When i see one i find them cute. And yes it reminds me of ice age which up to now my kids were watching over and over again!
Thanks 🙂
I have never seen a squirrel before but I would love to! They’re such cute creatures! I don’t mind if they’re noisy. I have a guinea pig and he can be really noisy sometimes. I have seen a sugar glider before, which is sort of like a squirrel. I was thinking of getting one but it was so expensive! I want to see the flying squirrels from Hokkaido too!
Guinea Pig? Wow!!
You truly havr an eye for beauty and details. I love how you were able to capture the squirrel on its busiest. And nice trivia there that that kind of squirrel does not hibernate. I thought all squirrels hibernate.
I love squirrels. I’ve seen them quite often and I’m always excited when I do. We used to see them if we were on holiday in a forest environment. They would come and sit on the table outside when we were inside. I loved making pictures of them. I had no clue about Squirrels in Mythology though. Interesting to learn about that! The picture is beautiful!
Nice pics, all of them! Can I ask which lens do you use? I suppose you shoot them with a tele lens. I used to have a Minolta 70-210 f4 on my previous camera. It was amazing lens! I had some photos of animals with that in our Zoo in Athens. Regret to give it but I changed system!
So so adorable this squirrels 😉 your photos all so nicely captured. You must be patiently waited for good timing right? Unsure whether Malaysia have this type of squirrel or not though. Cheers, SiennyLovesDrawing
Last Saturday, we went to the Red Fort and we were confronted with a…SQUIRREL! The insolent animal kind of threatened us and we were like howling with laughter. The best squirrels( I mean friendly ones) are found in the Mehrauli area. If you are in Delhi, then we can plan a visit to that place and ‘shoot’ some squirrels.
Thanks Swayam. A tad bit surprising behavior. Haven’t really associated aggression with squirrels. But sure if I’m in Delhi will definitely try and accommodate a shoot!! 🙂
Nice photo there! Most photos on your blog are magical and insightful. Plus, it’s solely focused on the subject. Squirrel are awesome creatures, but sometimes they are aggressive too. Plan your captures well.