While these brightly colored squirrels may seem like something only out of a movie, they are real, and they are as brightly colored in real life as they are in the picture. These beautiful animals are the Malabar giant squirrels.

John Koprowski visited India in 2006, and when he first came across one of these giant creatures, he thought it was some sort of primate. It wasn’t just the bright colors of the squirrel, but the massive size that caught his attention and made him think it wasn’t just a squirrel.

These massive squirrels can get up to three feet in length from head to tail and are at least twice the size of the squirrels we would typically come across in the United States. Their size isn’t the only thing that catches people’s attention the first time they see one.

Their fur is brightly colored and can contain a variety of colors including black, brown, orange, maroon, and purple. While this brightly colored coat is stunning when it catches the sunlight, it actually acts as a sort of camouflage for the giant squirrels.

In the shaded understory of the dense forestry, the dark colors and patchy patterns are a great adaptation to avoid detection from predators. It’s only when their beautiful coats catch a ray of sunshine that their true colors and beauty appear.

The Malabar squirrels like to feed on a variety of things including fruits, nuts, flowers, and tree bark. Some subspecies also eat insects and bird eggs. This impressive species lives mainly in trees and can jump a whopping 20 feet when jumping from tree to tree.

Although they are energetic creatures, they are rather shy and rarely seen unless a person actively searches for them. Researchers say the best way to find one is to climb up in a tree and sit very quietly until they emerge from their nest.

Just like many other animals, the Malabar squirrel is declining in population due to deforestation of humans. They are still listed as a species of “least concern”, but if humans aren’t careful with the forests where they live, they could soon be an endangered species.