Indian Giant Flying Squirrel:
A rare Indian giant flying squirrel has been recently spotted in Uttarakhand’s Ramnagar forests for the first time in nearly 12 years.
- The Indian giant flying squirrel (Petaurista philippensis), also known as the large brown flying squirrel or the common giant flying squirrel, is a type of rodent in the Sciuridae family, which includes squirrels.
- It is capable of gliding flight using a skin membrane, the patagium, stretched between front and hind legs.
- Scientific Name: Petaurista philippensis
- It can be found only in Southeast and South Asia and southern and central China.
- In South Asia they have a patchy distribution in Sri Lanka and India, primarily concentrated in the Himalayan Mountains and northeast regions north of Bombay and Rajasthan.
- They live in dry deciduous and evergreen forests, usually at higher elevations.
- They can also be found in plantations.
- It is one of the largest flying squirrels.
- It is nocturnal
- It is arboreal and spends most of the life in the canopy.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Least Concern
