Layard's palm squirrel

Layard's palm squirrel, Funambulus layardi, also called the flame-striped jungle squirrel, is a rodent in the squirrel family Sciuridae that is endemic to Sri Lanka, where it lives mainly in the central highlands, including the Knuckles range. It is a small squirrel with a head and body length of 12 to 17 centimetres and a tail of about 14 centimetres. The fur is soft, short and dense and blackish brown, with three stripes along the back, the central one the broadest and longest and yellow in this species; the underparts are reddish orange. The tail is bushy and blackish brown with some red in it. The squirrel is diurnal and spends most of its time in the forest canopy, eating fruits, young shoots and nuts, and insects when other food is scarce. Pairs are said to bond for life, raising about three young in a nest of grass, leaves and plant fibre in the canopy. Its habitat is subtropical and tropical moist lowland and montane forest, and logging and habitat destruction threaten it. It is protected under the law, and its population is reported to be declining.