Giant sliding squirrel

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Giant sliding squirrel
Japanese giant sliding squirrel Petaurista leucogenys

Japanese giant sliding squirrel Petaurista leucogenys

Systematics
Order : Rodents (Rodentia)
Subordination : Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family : Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily : Tree squirrel and flying squirrel (Sciurinae)
Tribe : Flying Squirrel (Pteromyini)
Genre : Giant sliding squirrel
Scientific name
Petaurista
Link , 1795

The giant sliding squirrels ( Petaurista ) are a genus of sliding squirrels that is common in tropical and subtropical Asia. Some of the species are among the largest squirrels ever, eight to nine species are differentiated.

features

Some of the species are the largest squirrels ever, but the range of sizes within the genus is very wide. The Taguan reaches a head body length of almost 60 cm, plus a 65 cm long tail. Other species are only half as large with a head body length of 30 cm and a tail length of 35 cm. The coat colors vary greatly between and within the species. The Taguan is usually red-brown on the top and white on the underside. The Japanese giant sliding squirrel comes in black, brown or beige tones.

Way of life

All giant sliding squirrels are forest dwellers. Depending on their distribution, they live in tropical rainforests or temperate deciduous and mixed forests. Most species live in mountains above 900 m. In the Himalayas, giant gliding squirrels are mainly found at altitudes between 3000 and 4000 m. Giant gliding squirrels live in the forest in the treetop region between 15 and 30 m above the ground. There they usually move in the typical croissant style. If a neighboring tree is too far away, they use their gliding ability. The largest species can cover distances of up to 450 m. The food of the giant flying squirrels are nuts, fruits and leaves, rarely also insects.

Giant sliding squirrels can be found in pairs all year round, often accompanied by their offspring. Usually there is only one young in the litter, occasionally two.

Systematics

The genus Petaurista was first scientifically described by Heinrich Friedrich Link in 1795 , but the name was lost and was completely ignored in the following years. Charles Immanuel Forsyth Major compiled the previously known genera of the flying squirrels as the subfamily Pteromyinae in his work on fossil squirrels and the systematics of squirrels in 1893, whereby the giant flying squirrels were added to the genus Pteromys . In 1896 Oldfield Thomas re-established the name Petaurista for these species, which Link had already introduced in 1795 .

The system within the giant flying squirrels has not yet been finally clarified. As a rule, eight, nine or even 16 species are classified within the genus of the giant sliding squirrel ( Petaurista ), but the species status for some species is still under discussion. According to the 2016 Handbook of the Mammals of the World , the following are currently considered to be secured species :

Historically, depending on the author, 5 to 31 species of the genus have been described, which, according to current opinion, are sometimes treated as subspecies or synonyms . The controversial species include Petaurista caniceps , whose species status can be considered confirmed according to the current state of affairs, as well as the Petaurista maritima , Petaurista sybilla , P. albiventer , P. hainana , P. marica and P. yunanensis , which are still under discussion . Further potential discussions could be refreshed by molecular biological studies of the phylogeny of the genus, for example with regard to P. lena and P. grandis .

Fossils

The earliest records of fossil giant sliding squirrels come from the early Pleistocene from sites in Chongqing and Anhui in southern China . The northernmost finds up to the discovery of Petaurista tetyukhensis come from a warm phase in the middle Pleistocene from Zhoukoudian in the north of China (Young, 1934) and other finds for animals of the genus from the late Pleistocene come from Japan and China. In the Holocene, the genus was also found on the southern Japanese islands and on the island of Hainan, which belongs to China .

During excavations between 2012 and 2016, the most northerly fossil remains of the genus were discovered in two caves in the Primorye region and scientifically described as Petaurista tetyukhensis in 2019 . This species lived in the Young Pleistocene 30,000 years ago and probably had a flight membrane span of 1.50 m.

Hazard and protection

There are different degrees of social connections between humans and giant squirrels. While they are neglected in many regions, they are highly hunted and valued as a source of food by the indigenous people of Taiwan . The species are surprisingly little affected by the destruction of the rainforest. In Malaysia , after the primary forest was cleared, taguanas were able to adapt to life in parks and orchards, so that the species has become a regional cultural successor . However, other populations are less tolerant. Although the IUCN does not classify any species as endangered, individual populations are definitely threatened. The Indian giant gliding squirrel is almost extinct on the island of Hainan , and the same thing happened to the red and white giant gliding squirrel on Taiwan .

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Richard W. Thorington Jr, Dian Pitassy, ​​Sharon A. Jansa: Phylogenies of Flying Squirrels (Pteromyinae). In: Journal of Mammalian Evolution . Vol. 9, No. 1/2, 2002, pp. 99-135, doi : 10.1023 / A: 1021335912016 .
  2. ↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Petaurista in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
  3. ↑ a b Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 110 ff. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  4. ^ JL Koprowski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Petaurista. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, ISBN 978- 84-941892-3-4 , p. 769 ff.
  5. ↑ a b c Song Li, Kai He, Fa-Hong Yu, Qi-Sen Yang: Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeography of Petaurista Inferred from the Cytochrome b Gene, with Implications for the Taxonomic Status of P. caniceps, P. marica and P. sybilla. PLOS ONE , July 16, 2013 doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0070461
  6. ↑ Petaurista. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008; P. 177 ff. ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 .
  7. ↑ a b Mikhail P.Tiunov & DmitryiO.Gimranov: The first fossil Petaurista (Mammalia: Sciuridae) from the Russian Far East and its paleogeographic significance. Palaeoworld, 2019 doi : 10.1016 / j.palwor.2019.05.007

literature

  • Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 110 ff. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
  • JL Koprowski, EA Goldstein, KR Bennett, C. Pereira Mendes: Petaurista. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6) Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, ISBN 978- 84-941892-3-4 , p. 769 ff.
  • 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 .

Web links

Commons : Petaurista  - collection of images, videos and audio files