Black flying squirrel
| Black flying squirrel | ||||||||||||
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Black sliding squirrel |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Aeromys tephromelas | ||||||||||||
| ( Günther , 1873) |
The black flying squirrel ( Aeromys tephromelas ) is a flying squirrel from the genus of the same name ( Aeromys ). It occurs on the Southeast Asian mainland in Thailand and the peninsula Malaysia with the island Penang as well as on the islands Sumatra and the northern Borneo .
features
The black flying squirrel reaches a head-body length of about 37 to 39 centimeters and a tail length of about 39 to 47 centimeters. The weight is around 1000 to 1250 grams. It is one of the larger species of flying squirrel and its body mass is roughly comparable to the spotted giant flying squirrel ( Petaurista elegans ), which is also found in Southeast Asia. The body color is solid black in the nominate form and orange-red in the subspecies A. t. phaeomelas .
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
The black flying squirrel occurs on the Southeast Asian mainland in Thailand and the peninsula Malaysia with the island of Penang as well as on the islands of Sumatra and northern Borneo . Documentations of the black flying squirrel in northern Thailand and Laos are unconfirmed, it could also have been melanistic giant flying squirrels .
Way of life
The black flying squirrel occurs in different habitats and adapts to both primary and secondary forests of the lowlands. It can also be found in gardens. It feeds on seeds, fruits, leaves and other parts of plants. In its way of life, it corresponds to other flying squirrels and is tree-living and largely nocturnal. It builds nests in tree hollows when these are available.
Systematics
The black flying squirrel is classified as an independent species within the genus of the black flying squirrel ( Aeromys ), which in addition to this only contains the Thomas flying squirrel ( Aeromys thomasi ). The first scientific description comes from the German zoologist Albert Günther from 1873 as Pteromys tephromelas based on an individual from the Malay island of Penang in the Strait of Malacca , which was made available to the British Museum by George Douglas Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll , as well of a female cub.
(Color lithograph by Joseph Smit in the first description from 1873, after a drawing by Joseph Wolf )
It was first described in the April 1, 1873 edition of the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London , in which Albert Günther, in addition to the black flying squirrel, also Pteromys phaeomelas (now considered a subspecies of the black flying squirrel) and Sciuropterus pulverulentus , known today as the smoky gray flying squirrel ( Pteromyscus pulverulentus ), described.
Two subspecies are distinguished within the species:
- A. t. tephromelas ( nominate form ) throughout the distribution area with the exception of the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo ( Kalimantan )
- A. t. phaeomelas in the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo (Kalimantan)
Existence, endangerment and protection
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) does not classify the black flying squirrel in a hazard category because of the limited amount of data available on the way of life and the population, but is listed as "data deficient". Potential causes of endangerment are not known, as the species is considered to be very adaptable to changes in its habitat.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 122. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
- ↑ a b c d e f Aeromys tephromelas in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2014.1. Posted by: K. Aplin, D. Lunde, JW Duckworth, B. Lee, RJ Tizard, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- ↑ a b c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Aeromys tephromelas in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ^ A b Albert Günther : Description of three new species of Flying Squirrels in the Collection of the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1873; P. 413 f. ( Digitized , incomplete)
literature
- Richard W. Thorington Jr., John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012; P. 122. ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1
Web links
- Aeromys tephromelas inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.1. Posted by: K. Aplin, D. Lunde, JW Duckworth, B. Lee, RJ Tizard, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2014.