Travancore flying squirrel

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Travancore flying squirrel
Scientific classification
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P. fuscocapillus
Binomial name
Petinomys fuscocapillus
(Jerdon, 1847)
Synonyms

Petinomys fuscocapillus (Kelaart, 1850)
Sciuropetrus layardi Kelaart, 1850
Sciuropterus fuscocapillus Jerdon, 1847

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Travancore flying squirrel (Petinomys fuscocapillus), also known as the small flying squirrel, is a flying squirrel found in South India and Sri Lanka. Travancore flying squirrels were thought to be extinct but were rediscovered in 1989 after a gap of 100 years in Kerala. It was rediscovered in Sri Lanka after 78 years. The animals were reported only in wet and intermediate zones of the island, and had a few sightings in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve.

Description

Head and body length is 32cm. Tail is 25-29cm. Dorsally reddish brown. Underparts grayish with a ruddy tinge. Tail is feather-shaped and reddish brown with a blackish undersurface. Membrane behind hind limb is small. Vibrissae is black. Dorsal fur is very soft, long and sheen.

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies, as;

  • Petinomys fuscocapillus fuscocapillus (Jerdon, 1847) - Western Ghats of Peninsular India
  • Petinomys fuscocapillus layardi (Kelaart, 1850) - Sri Lanka.

Ecology

Rare, nocturnal mammal with frugivorous diet, they are known to eat bark, shoots, and leaves, and even insects also..[2]

References

  1. Rajamani, N., Molur, S. & Nameer, P. O. (2008). Petinomys fuscocapillus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
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