Palawan Flying Squirrel

Description: This medium-sized glider is one of the largest in the genus. Its fur is long, thick and rather woolly, the general colour being grizzled greyish-brown above with the woolly under-fur being pale slate-grey. Its ears are large with sparse black-tipped hairs, but with longer yellowish hairs at their base. Its patagium above is rather thinly haired, similar in colour to its back. Its throat, chest, and centre of its belly are whitish, the hairs yellowish-white to their roots.

The rest of its underparts are greyish-white, the bases of the hairs slate-grey. The upper surface of its feet is uniformly black, while under surface of its heel and the fringe of its hind feet is brownish-black. Its tail is long and thickly haired, indistinctly distichous, and varying in colour from yellowish or whitish to wholly dark brown at the end. A considerable proportion of individuals on Palawan show a varying degree of albinism, from small irregular spots to almost completely white.

Distribution: Occurs on Palawan Island and Bancalan Island (south of Palawan) in the Philippines. It inhabits primary and secondary lowland forest, where it nests in cavities in large trees.

Reproduction: Nothing is known.

Diet: Nothing is known.

Ecology: Nothing is known.

Status: Near Threatened.

Note: Despite its very isolated geographical position this species seems very similar to the Particolored Flying Squirrel, and it is doubtful if its separation can be justified.