Indian giant flying squirrel

Indian giant flying squirrel

Large brown flying squirrel, Common giant flying squirrel

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Petaurista philippensis
Weight
0.1-1.7
0.1-3.6
kglbs
kg lbs 
Length
1
3
mft
m ft 

The Indian giant flying squirrel (Petaurista philippensis ), also called the large brown flying squirrel or the common giant flying squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is capable of gliding flight using a skin membrane stretched between front and hind legs. It is found in mainland Southeast and South Asia, and southern and central China.

No

Nocturnal

Fo

Folivore

Fr

Frugivore

He

Herbivore

Ar

Arboreal

Zo

Zoochory

Gl

Gliding

Te

Terrestrial

Po

Polygynandry

Po

Polygamy

Po

Polygyny

So

Solitary

I

starts with

Appearance

This is a large species, with a head and body length of about 43 cm and a tail of 50–52 cm. It has black to gray-brown fur, long and soft on the upper parts and somewhat shorter underneath the body, with a grizzled appearance. A wing membrane between the forelimb and hindlimb, paler coloured underneath, allows gliding between trees. The tail is hairy and blackish to gray-brown, the feet are black, and the nose is pale pink with black vibrissae.

Climate zones

Indian giant flying squirrel habitat map
Indian giant flying squirrel
Attribution-ShareAlike License

Habits and Lifestyle

The Indian giant flying squirrel is nocturnal and arboreal, spending most of its life in the canopy. Nests are made in tree hollows lined with bark, fur, moss, and leaves. The species is sociable when food is abundant, but intraspecies attacks increase with food scarcity. Vocalizations are similar to those of the spot-bellied eagle-owl.

Diet and Nutrition

The species is mainly frugivorous, preferring the fruits of Ficus racemosa, followed by Cullenia and Artocarpus heterophyllus. It also takes bark, tree resins, shoots, leaves (particularly of F. racemosa ), insects, and larvae. Squirrels were shown to be somewhat tolerant of disturbance when foraging, and to exploit food resources at the forest edge, including exotic planted species.

Mating Habits

PREGNANCY DURATION
46 days
BABY CARRYING
1 to 2
INDEPENDENT AGE
95 to 185 days

Female gives birth to a single offspring during mid June. Pups born blind, with a head that is disproportionately large when compared with the body.

Population

Coloring Pages

References

1. Indian giant flying squirrel Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_giant_flying_squirrel
2. Indian giant flying squirrel on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/16724/184098981

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About