White-bellied Giant Flying Squirrel

About this species

Diet

Herbivore

Habitat

Forest; recorded at 150–1,500m in Nepal and 1,350–3,050m in Pakistan, up to the tree line

Range

Western and central Himalaya, from north-east Afghanistan through northern Pakistan and northern India to at least Nepal

Litter size

1, rarely 2 young

The white-bellied giant flying squirrel is the form of the red giant flying squirrel found in the western and central Himalaya, from north-eastern Afghanistan through northern Pakistan and northern India to at least Nepal. Genetic studies in the early 2000s showed it to be relatively close to a group of Yunnan forms but quite distant from other giant flying squirrels, so recent authorities often treat it as a separate species (Wikipedia, general species account).

Like other flying squirrels it is mostly nocturnal and glides between trees on its patagium, most glides being under 50 m. It is a herbivore and the female has one, rarely two, young per litter. In Nepal it has been recorded at 150–1,500 m, and in Pakistan at 1,350–3,050 m, with the upper limit set by the tree line. The account covers the red giant flying squirrel as a whole, so details for this form specifically are limited (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)