Order : RODENTIA
Family : Sciuridae
Species : Tamiops barbei

Head-Body Length : average 10-7-11.4 cm
Weight : 47 grams
Tail Length : 10.6-16.3 cm
(Hinckley et al, 2024)

Tamiops barbei (Southeast Asian Striped Squirrel) is mainly a species of montane, forested areas above 700 metres elevation, however in some parts of Myanmar and Thailand it is known to occur at lower elevations. In Krabi, southern Thailand, it occurs at sea level in coastal, karst limestone habitat (Fig 1).

This small squirrel is almost exclusively arboreal in habits and rarely comes to ground; it prefers tall trees, including fig trees and coconut palms.

Tamiops barbei was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Himalayan Striped Squirrel (Tamiops macclellandi) but is now treated as a distinct species (Hinckley et al, 2024).

It is fast-moving, and can easily be overlooked as it frantically moves from tree to tree searching for small fruits and insects. Its striped pattern is an effective camouflage on rough, fissured tree trunks.

The thickness and length of the alternating cream and dark brown dorsal stripes is a key identifying feature, and is diagnostic in distinguishing it from other small striped squirrels (refer to Hinckley et al, 2024, page 698). 

This species occurs in parts of eastern Myanmar, southern China, northwestern Vietnam, Thailand (excluding eastern Thailand), and northern and central parts of Peninsular Malaysia (Hinckley et al, 2024). In eastern Thailand it is replaced by Tamiops rodolphii (Cambodian Striped Squirrel).

Fig 1 : Example climbing the aerial root of a fig tree in coastal, karst limestone habitat in Krabi, southern Thailand.

Fig 2 : Example from lower montane forest at Fraser's Hill, Peninsular Malaysia.

Fig 3 : Consuming part of a fresh, new leaf at Fraser's Hill, Peninsular Malaysia.


References :

Hinckley A, Maldonado JE, Tamura N, Leonard JA, Hawkins MTR (2024) Lost in synonymy: Integrative species delimitation reveals two unrecognized species of Southern Asian tree squirrels (Rodentia: Sciuridae: Callosciurinae). Vertebrate Zoology 74 683–707.