The world’s gliding mammals are an extraordinary group of animals that have the ability to glide from tree to tree with seemingly effortless grace. There are more than 60 species of gliding mammals including the flying squirrels from Europe and North America, the scaly-tailed flying squirrels from central Africa and the gliding possums of Australia and New Guinea.
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae, Pteromyini
Description: A large species with upper parts, tail and cheeks dark grey-brown to almost black, with fine, pale flecking on the back. The underparts are slightly paler with sparse fluffy fur.
Distribution: Occurs in southern-most Thailand(?), Malay Peninsula, Penang Island (= Pinang Island), Siberut Island and north-western Sumatra. A second subspecies occurs in northern Borneo. It is found in primary forest and partially cut primary forest. In the lowlands and foothills it inhabits mature forest or clearings with tall trees.
Reproduction: The female produces a single young.
Diet: Feeds on fruits, nuts and other vegetable matter.
Ecology: Little is known of its ecology except that it spends the daylight hours in a hole in a large tree.
Status: Data Deficient.
| HB | 355–426 mm |
| TL | 370–527 mm |
| HF | 67–78 mm |
| M | 1128–1250 g |
Aeromys tephromelas tephromelas — Southern-most Thailand(?), Malay Peninsula, Penang Island (= Pinang Island), Siberut Island and north-western Sumatra. In Malaysia it is found in mainland forest in the lowlands and foothills of Pahang, Selangor, Malacca and Johore.
Aeromys tephromelas phaeomelas — Known from several scattered localities in the northern part of Borneo, including the foothills of Gunung Kinabalu, Tenom, and Tawau in Sabah; northern Sarawak and Kuching; from Sombong near Samarinda in East Kalimantan. Other specimens have been collected from G. Dulit, and at Claudetown (= Marudi), Baram and various places in the lowlands of Sarawak, including the neighbourhood of Kuching.
Galeopterus variegatus
Aeretes melanopterus
Aeromys thomasi
Belomys pearsonii
Sugar Glider
Petaurus breviceps
Flying Squirrel
Iomys sipora Mentawai
Chinese Giant Flying Squirrel
Petaurista xanthotis
Lord Derby’s Scaly-tailed Flying Squirrel
Anomalurus derbianus