Abstract

Malabar giant squirrel (Ratufa indica) is an arboreal squirrel species endemic in India. The species is categorized under family Ratufinae and order Rodentia. The specimens were collected from two dead adult Malabar giant squirrels from the forests of Central Kerala. The samples were fixed, processed and sectioned as per routine paraffin embedding and sectioning procedures. The sections were stained by routine and special histological stains. The guard hairs were processed for studying medulla and cuticle morphology. The skin had an outer epidermis made by keratinized stratified squamous epithelium and an inner dermis.  Dermis enclosed hair follicles, sebaceous glands, smooth muscle and blood vessels.  Guard hair follicles and groups of primary hair follicle clusters were present in the dermis. The scales of cuticle had “transversal” position, “smooth” scale margins, “regular wave” scale pattern and scales were placed “close”. Medulla characteristics included composition as “multicellular in rows”, structure as “multiserial ladder” and the margins were “scalloped”. The guard hair shaft had average medullary index values at proximal half and distal half as 0.547 ± 0.05 and 0.435 ± 0.08 respectively. Medullary index along with other hair parameters and follicle pattern in skin histology may provide species identification key. The paper describes the salient histomorpological characteristics of skin and hair in Malabar Giant squirrel. 

Keywords : Malabar Giant squirrel, Skin, Hair