The maritime striped squirrel, Tamiops maritimus, is a small tree squirrel found in southern and eastern China, Taiwan, Laos, and Vietnam east of the Mekong River. It is also called the eastern striped squirrel.
This squirrel has a slim body, a long tail, and several pale and dark stripes running along the back. The stripes help break up its outline as it moves among branches, vines, and patches of sunlight in the trees.
Maritime striped squirrels are active during the day and highly arboreal, meaning they spend much of their time in trees. They move quickly along trunks and branches, often pausing upright to check their surroundings before darting onward.
Their diet includes fruits, seeds, insects, and nectar. They have even been recorded feeding on the nectar of ginger plants, showing how small mammals can play a role in moving pollen or seeds through a forest.
Like many small squirrels, they must stay alert for predators such as snakes, birds of prey, and carnivorous mammals. Healthy wooded habitat gives them food, nest sites, and escape routes high above the ground.