Giant flying squirrel [1] ( lat. Petaurista petaurista ) - a species of rodents from the genus of giant flying squirrels of the squirrel family. It lives in the northern part of South Asia, in the south of China and in Southeast Asia. The fur is dark red with black "stockings" on its paws. Body length 42 cm. The tail is long and serves as a stabilizer when the flying squirrel plans between trees. This nocturnal animal, it feeds mainly on leaves, fruits and nuts, and sometimes insects. This species does not face specific threats other than the ongoing destruction of the habitat. It is widespread and quite numerous, so in the IUCN Red List it is listed as βa species under the least threat β [2] .
| Giant flying squirrel |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Squadron : | Euarchontoglires |
| Gender: | Giant flying squirrels |
| View: | Giant flying squirrel |
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| International scientific name |
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Petaurista petaurista ( Pallas , 1766) |
| Area |
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| Security status |
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Least ConcernedIUCN 3.1 Least Concern : 16723 |
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The giant flying squirrel lives in Asia, its range extends from Afghanistan , through northern India and Pakistan to Java and Taiwan, as well as Sri Lanka. It can also be found on parts of the island of Borneo. This species was recorded in Western Malaysia , including Penang, Tioman Island, as well as Singapore [3] . This species has also been recorded from many locations throughout Sabah and Sarawak, up to 900 m on Mount Kinabalu, excluding the subspecies of the subspecies Petaurista petaurista nigrescens , known only from the forests around Sandakan Bay north of the Kinabatangan River [4] .
Like other flying squirrels, this species has leather membranes between the front and hind legs, which serve to plan through the air between the trees. They have a dark red color with the exception of black hair on the nose, chin, around the eyes, behind the ears, on the legs and tail. The eyes are big. Compared to other species, protein is a large animal. The average body length is 42 cm, the tail is long and thin [4] .
In the wild, the giant flying squirrel eats primarily cones, leaves and branches, also fruits and nuts, and sometimes insects. She is able to plan over the air over long distances. There were reports of flights up to 75 meters and beyond; she plans, as a rule, at an angle of 40-60 degrees from the horizontal, sometimes at a steeper angle for shorter flights. They settle in hollows no less than 10 m above the ground. The giant flying squirrel is a nocturnal animal and does not hibernate, but migrates to areas with a lot of food. A giant flying squirrel can settle on coniferous plantations. It is most active between sunset and midnight, and the size of individual sections of adult males on coniferous plantations is estimated at 3.2 ha [5] .
It is believed that the mating season of this rodent occurs twice a year, but females usually breed once a year. Young are born in February and August, the number of cubs in the litter is from one to two [6] .
