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 species are a grizzled rusty and black. The individual hairs have black tips, a ring of ochraceous buff to tawny, and long blackish bases. Its forehead, the sides of its head, and a broad area behind each ear along the side of the neck are shining black. Its ears are black with a narrow whitish border, its lips are white, but its chin is black.
The fur on its throat is brownish-black and tipped with white. Its forearm, lower leg and most of its patagium are blackish-brown, tipped with reddish-brown above. Its underparts, upper arm and patagium between its elbow and the middle of its tibia are white, with the hairs in the median region of the body with grey bases. A narrow border at the lateral edge of the patagium consists of black-tipped hairs with broad cinnamon-rufous bases showing through.
Distribution: Restricted to Hainan Island, China.
Reproduction: Nothing is known.
Diet: Nothing is known.
Ecology: Nothing is known.
Status: Not Evaluated.
Note: This species has had a confused history, being recognised as either a species in its own right or as a subspecies of the Red Giant Flying Squirrel or the Indian Giant Flying Squirrel.
| HB | 400–540 mm |
| TL | 450–595 mm |
| HF | 76–87 mm |
| M | Unknown |
Petaurista caniceps
Petaurista elegans
Petaurista lena
Petaurista leucogenys
Sugar Glider
Petaurus breviceps
Southern Flying Squirrel
Glaucomys volans
Chinese Giant Flying Squirrel
Petaurista xanthotis
Lord Derby’s Scaly-tailed Flying Squirrel
Anomalurus derbianus