Low's Squirrel

activity

Activity patterns. Low’s Squirrel is diurnal, with activity peaks in early morning and late afternoon. It uses all strata offorest, although it is not commonly found in high trees.

Sciuridae

biology_ecology

Habitat. Mostly in lowland tall and secondary dipterocarp forests. On Borneo, Low's Squirrel is mainly found in lowland forests below elevations of ¢. 900 m, although it is recorded up to ¢. 1400 m in the Kelabit Highlands, Sarawak, Malaysia. On the Malay Peninsula, it occurs in lowlands and foothills at elevations up to ¢. 924 m. At high elevations, it is widespread, but not common.

Sciuridae

biology_ecology

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Pasoh Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, the population density of Low’s Squirrel was estimated to be 0 - 19 ind / ha in primary forest, 0 - 04 ind / ha in regenerating forest, and 0 - 10 ind / ha in riparian forest.

Sciuridae

breeding

Breeding. Female Low’s Squirrels usually give birth to two or three young, and mean litter size is 2: 3 (n = 4). Three pregnant females were captured between end of April and August. Nests of Low's Squirrel are similar to nests of Large Treeshrews (Tupaia tana), but it also can nest in hollows oftrees or in the ground. Five nests were described in Borneo, two of them were built in cavities (2 m above the ground in a sapling and 0 - 5 m above the ground in a stump) and filled inside with leaves and plantfibers. Two other nests were globular structures with diameters of 10 - 15 cm, made of leaves and plant fibers in branches of palms, at 2 m and 3 - 5 m above the ground. The fifth nest was subterranean, with an entrance hole of 6 cm in diameter.

Sciuridae