Himalayan striped squirrel explained

The Himalayan striped squirrel (Tamiops mcclellandii), also known as western striped squirrel or Burmese striped squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It lives in a variety of forest from tropical to subtropical in Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. This species is diurnal, arboreal and feeds on fruit, vegetable matter, and insects. It often seen in small groups and uses tree holes for shelter.^{[1] [2]}

The rapid uplift of the Himalayas is believed to have caused the diversification of the three main Tamiops lineages. Multiple divergences from 5.8 to 1.7 mya likely led to the formation of modern Tamiops species.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Francis, Charles M. (2008). A Field Guide to the Mammals of South-East Asia. New Holland Publisher (UK) Ltd
2. Thorington, R. W. Jr., Koprowski, J. L., Steele, M. A. and J. F. Whatton. (2012). Squirrels of the World. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
3. Chang. S.-W.. Oshida. T.. Endo. H.. Nguyen. S. T.. Dang. C. N.. Nguyen. D. X.. Jiang. X.. Li. Z.-J.. Lin. L.-K.. 2011. Ancient hybridization and underestimated species diversity in Asian striped squirrels (genus Tamiops): inference from paternal, maternal and biparental markers: Multi-locus phylogeny of Asian striped squirrels. Journal of Zoology. en. 285. 2. 128–138. 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00822.x.