Nilgiri striped squirrel

The Nilgiri striped squirrel, Funambulus sublineatus, is a threatened species of rodent, a small squirrel in the family Sciuridae, from rainforests in the southern Western Ghats, including the Nilgiris, in Peninsular India. It was scientifically described in 1838 and was later merged with the Sri Lankan Funambulus obscurus, which was regarded as a subspecies; a review in 2012 found the two highly distinct and recommended that they be recognized as separate species, so the dusky striped squirrel name is now restricted to the Sri Lankan species. The Nilgiri squirrel is now restricted to the Western Ghats of India and is confined to wet humid forests there and in the Nilgiri hills and surrounding areas such as around Kodaikanal. Very little is known of it, and it is probably the smallest squirrel in its genus, weighing about 40 grams. The IUCN Red List assesses it as Vulnerable.