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: The upper parts of this flying squirrel are brownish-buff, but with the broadly dull black base of its fur showing through everywhere except on its crown. Its patagium is almost entirely black, although the extreme edge is white. Its forefeet are brownish-buff, while its hind feet are much darker — near blackish-brown.
Its tail is brown, particoloured at the base in the manner of most small flying squirrels, the pale portion being creamy buff. The underside of the tail is pale cinnamon-rufous lightening to creamy buff at the base. Its underparts are creamy white, its cheeks are orange-buff, and a continuous black line runs over the point of its muzzle and encircles each eye.
Distribution: Known only from the type locality in Tjilondong, Mount Pangrango, western Java, Indonesia at an elevation of 900 metres.
Reproduction: Nothing is known.
Diet: Nothing is known.
Ecology: Almost nothing is known of the ecology of Bartel’s Flying Squirrel, except that one specimen was caught when an Altingia excelsa was felled, and another was caught during the making of a forest clearing.
Status: Data Deficient.
HB | 133–145 mm |
TL | 119–130 mm |
HF | c. 28 mm |
M | Not known |
Glaucomys volans
Hylopetes alboniger
Hylopetes nigripes
Hylopetes phayrei
Malayan Colugo
Galeopterus variegatus
Grey-cheeked Flying Squirrel
Hylopetes platyurus
Whiskered Flying Squirrel
Petinomys genibarbis
Lord Derby’s Scaly-tailed Flying Squirrel
Anomalurus derbianus