Emilia's smallest sliding squirrel
| Emilia's smallest sliding squirrel | ||||||||||||
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| Petaurillus emiliae | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1908 |
Emilia's little flying squirrel ( Petaurillus emiliae ) is a flying squirrel from the genus of the little flying squirrel ( Petaurillus ). The species occurs exclusively in the northern part of the island of Borneo and has so far only been detected by one individual. It is at the same time the smallest sliding squirrel and the smallest type of squirrel.
features
Emilia's smallest sliding squirrel is the smallest, as well as the smallest known type of squirrel. It is about half the size of Hose's tiny flying squirrel ( Petaurillus hosei ) and the size of a small species of mouse . It reaches a head-torso length of about seven centimeters and has a tail of about 6.5 centimeters in length. The weight is around 13.5 grams.
Like all dwarf gliding squirrels, it has a hairy skin that connects the wrists and ankles and is enlarged by a fold of skin between the hind legs and the base of the tail. The sliding skin is muscular and reinforced at the edge, it can be tensed and relaxed accordingly in order to control the direction of the gliding flight.
distribution
Emilia's tiny sliding squirrel is only once documented as a type that was found on the island of Borneo in the Malay state of Sarawak .
Way of life
No data are available on the way of life of the flying squirrel. Like other species, it is likely to be strictly arboreal and nocturnal. Due to their small size and light weight, the animals of the genus are likely to be able to glide more slowly and deliberately than other flying squirrels.
Systematics
Emilias Kleinstleitörnchen is classified as an independent species within the genus of Kleinstleitörnchen ( Petaurillus ), which contains a total of three species. The first scientific description comes from Oldfield Thomas from 1908 on the basis of the only known individual in Baram District in the Malay state of Sarawak. He described the species together with the genus Petaurillus and other genera and species of the flying squirrel.
No subspecies are distinguished within the species.
Existence, endangerment and protection
Emilia's little flying squirrel is not classified in a hazard category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and is listed as "data deficient" due to the limited amount of data available. The species was only detected in one place and there are no statements about the distribution area and the population of the animals.
The loss of habitat due to the conversion of forests into agricultural land and logging are considered to be the main potential source of risk.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 108. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ↑ a b c d e Petaurillus emiliae in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.1. Listed by: JW Duckworth, C. Francis, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
- ↑ a b c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Petaurillus emiliae in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ↑ Oldfield Thomas : The genera and subgenera of the Sciuropterus Group, with descriptions of three new species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 1, 1908; Pp. 1-8. ( Digitized version ).
literature
- Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 108. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
Web links
- Petaurillus emiliae inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.1. Listed by: JW Duckworth, C. Francis, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2014.