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{{Short description|Genus of rodents}}
{{Automatic Taxobox
| name = Oriental giant squirrels
| fossil_range = Middle [[Miocene]] to Recent
| image = Malabar Giant Squirrel-Dogra.jpg
| image_caption = [[Indian giant squirrel]] (''Ratufa indica'')
| parent_authority = Moore, 1959
| taxon = Ratufa
| authority = [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1867
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision =
''[[Ratufa affinis]]''<br/>
''[[Ratufa bicolor]]''<br/>
''[[Ratufa indica]]''<br/>
''[[Ratufa macroura]]''
| synonyms =
''Eoscuirus''<br />
''Rukaia''
}}

'''Oriental giant squirrels''' are cat-sized [[tree squirrel]]s from the [[genus]] '''''Ratufa''''' in the [[subfamily]] '''Ratufinae'''. They are a distinctive element of the [[fauna]] of [[South Asia|south]] and [[southeast Asia]].

==Species==
There are four living [[species]] of oriental giant squirrels:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Common name !! Scientific name !! Distribution
|-
|[[File:Sandakan Sabah Giant-Squirrel-in-RDC-02.jpg|120px]] || [[Cream-coloured giant squirrel]] || ''Ratufa affinis''|| Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra (Indonesia), Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia)
|-
|[[File:Mammal Ratufa bicolor Malayan Giant Squirrel IMG 7905 03.jpg|120px]] || [[Black giant squirrel]] || ''Ratufa bicolor''|| Northern Bangladesh, northeast India, eastern Nepal, Bhutan, southern China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and western Indonesia (Java, Sumatra, Bali and nearby small islands)
|-
|[[File:Ratufa indica maxima.jpg|120px]] || [[Indian giant squirrel]] || ''Ratufa indica''|| India.
|-
|[[File:GrizzledSquirell-cauvery wls.jpg|120px]] || [[Grizzled giant squirrel]] || ''Ratufa macroura''|| Southern India, Sri Lanka
|-
|}

In prehistoric times this lineage was more widespread. For example, animals very similar to ''Ratufa'' and possibly belonging to this genus, at least belonging to the Ratufinae, were part of the early [[Langhian]] ([[Middle Miocene]], some 16–15.2 [[million years ago]]) Hambach fauna of [[Germany]].<ref>{{ cite journal|author1=Gee, Carole T.|author2=Sander, P. Martin|author3=Petzelberger, Bianka E .M.|year=2003|title=A Miocene rodent nut cache in coastal dunes of the Lower Rhine Embayment, Germany|journal=[[Palaeontology (journal)|Palaeontology]]|volume=46|issue=6|pages=1133–1149|doi=10.1046/j.0031-0239.2003.00337.x|doi-access=free}}</ref>
[[File:Ratufa skeleton.JPG|thumb|left|Skeleton of a ''Ratufa'' species]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{S. Ratufinae-Sciurillinae nav}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q858747}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oriental Giant Squirrel}}
[[Category:Mammals of Asia]]
[[Category:Ratufa|*]]
[[Category:Langhian first appearances]]
[[Category:Extant Miocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Taxa named by John Edward Gray]]

{{Squirrel-stub}}

Oriental giant squirrel - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article