📌 The Question

Consider the following statements regarding the Indian squirrels:

1. They build nests by making burrows in the ground.
2. They store their food materials like nuts and seeds in the ground.
3. They are omnivorous.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None

✅ Correct Answer: (b) Only two

🧑‍🏫 Classroom Explanation

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect
Indian squirrels, including tree squirrels like the Malabar giant squirrel, are arboreal.
They do not make burrows like ground squirrels or marmots.
Instead, they build leaf nests (dreys) on trees or use tree hollows.

✔️ Statement 2 – Correct
Squirrels are famous for food caching.
They store nuts and seeds in the soil (called scatter hoarding) as a survival strategy, especially to face lean seasons. Many forgotten seeds even aid forest regeneration 🌱.

✔️ Statement 3 – Correct
Though largely herbivorous, Indian squirrels are omnivorous.
Their diet may include:

• Nuts, fruits, seeds
• Insects
• Bird eggs
• Small reptiles or mammals (occasionally)

⚡ Curiosity Raiser

Did you know?
🐿️ A single squirrel may hide thousands of seeds, and forget nearly half of them — unintentionally becoming a forest gardener.

📚 Enrich Notes (UPSC Edge)

• Arboreal squirrels → tree nests (dreys)
• Ground squirrels → burrows (not common in India)
• Scatter hoarding = ecological service
• Omnivory = adaptive advantage in changing habitats

🕊️ IAS Monk Whisper

“Nature’s archivists don’t remember everything — and forests grow precisely because of that forgetfulness.”