The total length reaches 60 cm, of which 31 cm falls on the tail, weight 530 g. Eyes are large. Between the front and hind limbs there are characteristic for flying squirrels hair-covered leather membranes. The color of the fur is usually gray in different shades.
It lives in subtropical and tropical forests. Active at night. Fully arboreal species, lives in low-lying, tropical primary and secondary forests, nests in the cavities of large trees. Usually found in lowland, but sometimes in mountain forests.
It feeds on nuts, fruits, young shoots of plants and seeds. Sometimes it comes out to feed in agricultural land, where it feeds on corn, pumpkin and beans.
The size of the population is constantly decreasing. Near extinction due to habitat loss resulting from deforestation and hunting for meat and animal trafficking. Now the area of ββresidence is probably less than 20,000 square kilometers.
There are two subspecies: Hylopetes nigripes nigripes , which is found on the Palawan , and Hylopetes nigripes elassodontus , which lives on the island of Bankalan.
