Indochinese Giant Flying Squirrel

About this species

Diet

Fruits, seeds, leaves, buds and flowers (spotted giant flying squirrel account)

Habitat

Hill and mountain forest at 200–4,000m

Range

Eastern Himalaya, Southeast Asia and central China

Litter size

1, occasionally 2 young

The Indochinese giant flying squirrel is treated in the account used here as a form within the spotted giant flying squirrel, also called the lesser giant flying squirrel, although the northern populations are sometimes regarded as separate species. In this group the underparts are light orange-brown to pale rufous, the colour of the head, upperparts and tail varies with subspecies, and some forms have an entirely or mostly orangish-brown or reddish-brown tail (Wikipedia, general account of the spotted giant flying squirrel).

The species lives in hill and mountain forest at 200–4,000 m in Southeast Asia, north to central China and the eastern Himalaya, with one form reaching easternmost Arunachal Pradesh. It is nocturnal and glides between trees, and it is a rather noisy animal with a drawn-out cry often heard at night. It spends the day in a tree hollow and feeds on fruits, seeds, leaves, buds and flowers. Details specific to this form are limited (Wikipedia, general account of the spotted giant flying squirrel).

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