Finlayson's squirrel

The Finlayson's squirrel has a head-and-body length of about and its tail is about long. The pelage colour in this species is extremely variable and the subspecies are often defined by this feature. For example, C. f. finlaysonii (nominate) is overall whitish, C. f. albivexilli, C. f. boonsongi, C. f. germaini and C. f. nox are overall blackish (first with white tail-tip, second occasionally with white underside, face and feet), C. f. annellatus is overall rufous with a light band at the base of the tail, C. f. bocourti is whitish below with highly variable colour of the upperparts (whitish, grey, blackish, olive-brownish or reddish), C. f. cinnamomeus is overall reddish with a dark mid-back, C. f. ferrugineus is reddish-brown, C. f. harmandi has brownish upperparts, orange-red underparts and light grey tail, C. f. menamicus is reddish or orangish, often has greyish legs and flanks, and sometimes a white belly, and C. f. sinistralis has grizzled upperparts, reddish underparts and reddish tail with a pale band at the base. Unnamed populations also remain (for example, a population in central Laos is shiny black with red tail and shoulder/chest region) and even within described subspecies there are often some individual variations. As currently defined, Finlayson's squirrel may comprise more than one species. File:Callosciurus finlaysonii 85959681.jpg|C. f. bocourti mating pair in Nonthaburi, Thailand (colour difference is individual, not related to male/female) File:Callosciurus finlaysonii 177035226.jpg|C. f. bocourti in Wang Nam Khiao, Thailand File:Callosciurus finlaysonii cinnamomeus 86117364.jpg|C. f. cinnamomeus in Khao Soi Dao, Thailand File:Callosciurus finlaysonii 99592168.jpg|C. f. germaini on Côn Đảo, Vietnam ==Behavior==

, Bangkok, Thailand Like other squirrels of its genus (the "beautiful squirrels", Callosciurus), Finlayson's squirrel is normally a canopy-dweller, feeding mainly on fruit. Field evidence suggests that it has the usual form of dichromatic mammalian color vision, which may enable it to discriminate ripe from unripe fruits. ==As an invasive species==

The subspecies C. f. bocourti (syn. C. f. floweri It is possible that some of the Callosciurus squirrels introduced into Japan are also Finlayson's squirrels. Finlayson's squirrel has also been introduced in the Philippines, particularly in the Greater Manila Area where it is considered an invasive species. As of April 2026, sightings of the species have been recorded in Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal and Nueva Ecija according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB); within Metro Manila, the Finlayson's squirrel has been spotted in some forested areas of Makati, Muntinlupa and Quezon City. In the European Union, due to the significant negative impacts of its introduction to the ecosystem, it is included in the list of invasive alien species of Union concern and hence cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in any of its member states. ==References==