Spotted giant flying squirrel

Spotted giant flying squirrel
	Petaurista elegans (Illustration from The Zoology of the voyage of HMS Samarang, under the command of Captain Sir Edward Belcher, 1850)
Systematics
Subordination :	Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family :	Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily :	Tree squirrel and flying squirrel (Sciurinae)
Tribe :	Flying Squirrel (Pteromyini)
Genre :	Giant Sliding Squirrel ( Petaurista )
Type :	Spotted giant flying squirrel
Scientific name
	Petaurista elegans
	( Müller , 1840)

The spotted giant flying squirrel ( Petaurista elegans ) is a flying squirrel from the subfamily of the tree and flying squirrels (Sciurinae). It belongs to the genus of the giant flying squirrel ( Petaurista ) and lives in Southeast Asia.

features

The spotted giant gliding squirrel is about the size of a cat and has a head-trunk length of 30 to 38 centimeters and a tail length of 35 to 40 centimeters. The rear foot length is 59 to 68 millimeters, the ear length 44 to 45 millimeters. It is one of the smaller species of the genus. Adults weigh around 760 to 1040 grams, with the males being slightly heavier than the females.

The basic color of the animals is very variable and ranges from reddish-brown to black. The back is usually provided with light spots, which can be of different sizes and densities. In some populations the animals have a reddish spot on the trunk, others have a black line that runs down the back. The belly side is usually lighter than the back side. The color of the legs can also vary from orange-brown to brown to black. Like all other species of flying squirrel , the spotted giant flying squirrel has a sliding skin between the front and rear legs that is covered by fur. The top of the flight membrane is usually dark red-orange in color.

distribution and habitat

Distribution area (red-brown area) of the spotted giant flying squirrel

The spotted giant flying squirrel is common over a large area of South and Southeast Asia. It stretches from eastern and southeastern Nepal and Bhutan via southern and central China , India , Myanmar , Laos , Vietnam , Thailand and Malaysia to the Malay Peninsula . The Malaysian and Indonesian islands of Sumatra , Java , Borneo and a few smaller surrounding islands are also colonized by the species. In China, the distribution area includes parts of the provinces of Yunnan , Sichuan , Guizhou , Xizang , Hunan , Hubei , Shaanxi and Gansu .

It lives in the Himalayas up to heights of 3000 to 4000 m, in Southeast Asia between 1000 and 4000 m (Malaysia). It lives mostly at the high altitudes, but is observed at lower altitudes in the spring, possibly in search of food that cannot be found at higher altitudes during this time of year. The habitat consists of pine forests in temperate climates to tropical rainforests.

Way of life

The giant sliding squirrels are nocturnal and spend the day in tree hollows. Like other croissants, they feed on conifer seeds, nuts, fruits, leaves, shoots and buds. The locomotion is done by climbing on the trees, although they are hindered by the flight membrane compared to other croissants. It can glide over great distances. The glide angle is changed with the front legs, the steering is done with the legs and the tail. Gliding usually takes place from a high point in one tree to a lower point in another tree instead of on the ground and is often used for flight.

Little data is available on the reproduction of this species. It is assumed that, similar to the Taguan ( Petaurista petaurista ), they live in pairs throughout the year and are usually observed together. They only have offspring once a year and give birth to one or two young animals. Suckling females were caught in October.

Systematics

The spotted giant flying squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of the giant flying squirrel ( Petaurista ), which contains a total of eight to nine species. The first scientific description comes from Salomon Müller from 1840 using an individual from the island of Java , Indonesia.

Within the species, five to eight subspecies are distinguished depending on the system (descriptions according to):

P. e. elegans ( nominate form ) on the Indonesian island of Java, excluding Mount Slamat ; Thorington et al. In 2012, P. e. slamatensis as an independent subspecies on Mount Slamat.
P. e. banksi from Sabah and Sarawak , Malaysia
P. e. marica in the People's Republic of China in the provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi and in northern Thailand
P. e. punctatus in northern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula
P. e. Sumatrana in the Pandang Highlands in the western part of Sumatra Island , Indonesia

The formerly considered subspecies P. e. caniceps from Nepal , the Indian Sikkim and Bhutan as well as P. e. sybilla in India and Myanmar are now considered together as an independent species Petaurista caniceps , whereby the own species status of P. sybilla is also discussed.

As with the Taguan ( P. petaurista ), the current distribution area of the spotted giant gliding squirrel is traced back to the sea level, which is around 200 meters lower, and the tectonic activity during the transition period from the Pliocene to the Pleistocene around 2.6 million years ago.

Hazard and protection

The species is assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as "Least Concern" due to the size of the population and the large area of distribution. A decline in the population and a greater threat are not known, but there are only a few research reports on the species.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; P. 178. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .

↑ ^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. 112. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

^ ^A ^b ^c ^d ^e Eva Ryckman: Petaurista elegans in the Animal Diversity Web of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved February 26, 2012.

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Petaurista elegans in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010.4. Posted by: J. Walston, JW Duckworth, S. Molur, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
↑ ^a ^b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Petaurista elegans in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
^ Gray-Headed Flying Squirrel. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; Pp. 177-178. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .
^ Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 111. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

literature

Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; P. 178. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .
Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 112. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

Web links

Commons : Spotted Giant Slithering Squirrel - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Petaurista elegans onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010.4. Posted by: J. Walston, JW Duckworth, S. Molur, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
Eva Ryckman: Petaurista elegans in the Animal Diversity Web of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
Petaurista elegans in Mammal Species of the World , 2005

[Smith_&_Yan_Xie_2009-1] Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; P. 178. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .

[Thorington_et_al._2012-2] Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 112. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1

[Ryckman-3] A ^b ^c ^d ^e Eva Ryckman: Petaurista elegans in the Animal Diversity Web of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved February 26, 2012.