Wildlifeof Thailand
Northern Black Giant Squirrel
Sciuridae
Photo: Ramesh Shenai · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Ratufa gigantea
Basic stats
Diet
Fruit, seeds, leaves, flowers and bark
Habitat
Tropical and subtropical forest
Range
Northern South Asia through mainland Southeast Asia
The northern black giant squirrel is a very large arboreal squirrel with a long bushy tail and strongly contrasting dark upperparts and pale underparts. Ratufa gigantea was split from the formerly broad R. bicolor in 2025; northern Thai populations fall within the newly recognized species (Mammal Diversity Database; 2025 molecular taxonomic study).
Its range extends from the eastern Himalayas through southern China and mainland Southeast Asia, including northern Thailand. It lives high in tropical and subtropical forest and feeds on fruit, seeds, leaves, flowers and bark, moving between crowns with powerful leaps (species-level taxonomic study; giant-squirrel ecology). No national category is stated because Thailand Red Data 2025 assessed the broader name R. bicolor before this split.
Quick answers
- What does the Northern Black Giant Squirrel eat?
- Fruit, seeds, leaves, flowers and bark
- What habitat does the Northern Black Giant Squirrel live in?
- Tropical and subtropical forest
- Where is the Northern Black Giant Squirrel found?
- Northern South Asia through mainland Southeast Asia