Mammals of the WorldBhutan Giant Flying Squirrel
Petaurista nobilis
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Sciuridae
- Genus
- Petaurista
- IUCN status
- NT
- Distribution
- Nepal|India|Bhutan|China|Laos|Vietnam|Myanmar
- Realm
- Palearctic|Indomalaya
Other names: Gray's Giant Flying Squirrel|Noble Giant Flying Squirrel|Mishmi Giant Flying Squirrel|Yunnan Giant Flying Squirrel|Mechuka Giant Flying Squirrel
About this species
- Habitat
- Himalayan forest, mostly at 1,500–3,000m; recorded down to 800m
- Range
- Central and eastern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, far northern West Bengal, and western and central Arunachal Pradesh
The Bhutan giant flying squirrel, also called Gray's or the noble giant flying squirrel, is one of the largest flying squirrels and lives in Himalayan forests. It has a narrow range restricted to central and eastern Nepal, Bhutan and the Indian states of Sikkim, far northern West Bengal, and western and central Arunachal Pradesh. It is mostly found at 1,500–3,000 m and has been recorded down to 800 m (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is mainly nocturnal but has also been seen at dawn and dusk, and it glides between trees on its patagium. It appears to breed in March and April, and although it lives in trees it has been seen feeding on the ground. Confusion with Hodgson's giant flying squirrel, including mislabelled museum specimens, was resolved only in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the two were shown to differ in colour pattern and size (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)