Indian giant flying squirrel

Indian Giant Flying Squirrel
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Petaurista
Species: P. philippensis
Binomial name
Petaurista philippensis
(Elliot, 1839)

The Indian giant flying squirrel (Petaurista philippensis, Gujarati: ઉડતી ખિસકોલી, මහ හම්බාවා in Sinhala), alternatively referred to as the large brown flying squirrel or the common giant flying squirrel, is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found in China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand.

Description

Head and body length is usually 43cm. Tail is 50cm in male and 52cm in female.

Black to gray brown in color and appears grizzled. A membrane in front of forelimb and hindlimb is developed for gliding through trees. Wing membrane is paler gray beneath. Tail hairy and blackish to gray brown. Feet is black. Nose is pale pink. Vibrissae black. Fur long and soft in upperparts, with gradually reduce through to the underparts.[2]

Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Dahod, Central Gujarat, India

Distribution

They usually prefer higher elevations about 400-1000m.

Ecology

Nocturnal and arboreal squirrel, occurs in dry deciduous and evergreen forests. In addition to natural forests, the animal is recorded from plantations. It is found to occupy tree canopies and holes.[3]

These squirrels are roost in tree hollows lined with barks, fur, moss, and leaves. They are known to be sociable when food is abundant in the surrounding, where attacks increase with food scarcity. The vocals of this squirrel is known to similar with that of Spot-bellied eagle-owl.[2]

Diet

Mainly frugivorous, they also eat bark, tree resins, shoots, leaves, insects, and larvae. According to a research, they are known to fond of Ficus racemosa, followed by Cullenia and Artocarpus heterophyllus. Leaves formed an important component of the diet and the leaves of F. racemosa were consumed more than those of any other species. Flying squirrels proved to be tolerant of disturbance and exploited food resources at the fragment edge, including exotic planted species.[4]

Reproduction

Female gives birth to a single offspring during mid June. Offspring born blind and much lengthier than other mammalian offspring, where the head is disproportionately large when compare with the body.[2]

References

  1. Walston, J., Duckworth, J. W. & Molur, S. (2008). Petaurista philippensis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 Yapa, A.; Ratnavira, G. (2013). Mammals of Sri Lanka. Colombo: Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka. p. 1012. ISBN 978-955-8576-32-8.
  3. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/16724/0
  4. http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1644/08-MAMM-A-063.1?journalCode=mamm
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