Rock slip squirrel
| Rock slip squirrel | ||||||||||||
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Rock slip squirrel ( Eupetaurus cinereus ) |
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| Eupetaurus | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1888 | ||||||||||||
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| Eupetaurus cinereus | ||||||||||||
| ( Thomas , 1888) |
The rock slip squirrel or wool slip squirrel ( Eupetaurus cinereus ) is a large flying squirrel of the Himalayas . It is little known to science as living specimens have been observed extremely rarely. Some of these flying squirrels have been found in the Pakistani- controlled parts of Kashmir , others in Sikkim . Two pelts also appeared in Yunnan , which suggests that the species is also common here. It is not known whether the range is so patchy or whether the species just lives very hidden.
With a head body length of over 50 cm and a tail almost as long, this is the largest flying squirrel in the world after the giant flying squirrels. A close relationship between the two genera is assumed. The most striking feature of the rock sliding squirrel is its thick, woolly fur, which is gray in color. This is apparently an adaptation to cold climates at high altitudes. One of the few specimens observed was melanistic . In anatomy, the rock sliding squirrel differs from its relatives in that it has a slightly longer snout and hypsodontic (i.e. high-crowned) molar teeth.
Earlier reports indicate that the rock elephant has blunt claws that cannot hold onto trees; The squirrel therefore lives in rocky regions above the tree line and feeds on mosses and lichens. Payer could not confirm this in 1994 after the animal was rediscovered; the specimen he examined had sharp claws. Although it does indeed live above the tree line at times, it is now considered likely that the rock sliding squirrel is dependent on coniferous forests.
The rock sliding squirrel has always been a very rare species, but not always such an extreme rarity. After the biologist Oldfield Thomas first described the animal in 1888, it was regularly caught and seen until the 1920s. The last sighting by scientists for the time being was from 1924. After this there were reports from locals, but the rock sliding squirrel was lost to science for seventy years. It was not until 1994 that an expedition headed by the Americans Peter Zahler and Chantal Djeteman, specifically looking for the animal, discovered it. They paid two locals $ 250 to be shown to the animal that lived in a cave above the Sai Valley. They examined the animal and then released it into the wild.
Since 1996 further attempts to find the rock sliding squirrel have been unsuccessful. It was only possible to find the animal's feces. The analysis suggested a diet consisting mainly of pine needles, which could also explain the hypsodontic dentition. DNA tests were carried out on the stuffed specimens lying in museums. The results suggest that the western and eastern populations of the rock flying squirrel may belong to two different species. The IUCN has classified this little known squirrel in the status "threatened".
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Peter Zahler: Rediscovery of the woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus). In: Journal of Mammalogy . Vol. 77, No. 1, 1996, pp. 54-57.
- Peter Zahler, Mayoor Khan: Evidence for dietary specialization on pine needles by the woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus). In: Journal of Mammalogy. Vol. 84, No. 2, 2003, pp. 480-486.
Web links
- Eupetaurus cinereus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Amori, 1996. Retrieved on 11 May, 2006.