The plantain squirrel lives in tree-rich habitats of Southeast Asia and is marked by black-and-white side stripes and a reddish belly.
Its back and tail are olive-brown, its belly and inner limbs are reddish, and black-and-white stripes run along its sides.
Researchers surveyed small mammals at four forest sites in Terengganu, Malaysia. Each site was sampled for six days, giving 24 survey days. Fifty baited cages were fixed to tree branches three to five metres above the ground, using banana or oil-palm fruit.
Seven small-mammal species were recorded. Plantain squirrels accounted for 17 animals, or 39% of all captures. The cages were placed in 50-metre-square plots at 10-metre intervals and checked three times a day. Researchers measured each captured animal before releasing it where it was caught.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The survey recorded seven small-mammal species in four fragmented-forest sites, including plantain squirrels. These local records describe the mammals found in this part of Terengganu’s forest landscape.