Wildlifeof Nepal
Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel
Squirrels & Flying Squirrels
Photo: (c) Forest Botial-Jarvis, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Petaurista elegans
Basic stats
Diet
Fruit, seeds, leaves, buds and flowers
Habitat
Hill and mountain forest at 200–4,000m
Range
Southeast Asia north to central China and the eastern Himalaya, including Nepal
Litter size
One, occasionally two
Size
Head and body 29.5–40cm; tail 34–40.5cm
Weight
760–1,560g
The spotted giant flying squirrel, also called the lesser giant flying squirrel, has a head and body of about 29.5 to 40cm and a tail of 34 to 40.5cm, and weighs 760 to 1,560g. The underparts are light orange-brown to pale rufous, while the head, upperparts and tail vary a lot by subspecies. Some populations lack the white spots on the upperparts that give it its name (Wikipedia, general species account).
The subspecies from Uttarakhand and Nepal to Arunachal Pradesh has a black tail tip and a grey head with a white throat. It lives in hill and mountain forest from 200 to 4,000m. A rather noisy species with a drawn-out night cry, it spends the day in a tree hollow and feeds on fruit, seeds, leaves, buds and flowers. Nationally Data Deficient (Nepal National Red List 2011).
Quick answers
- What does the Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel eat?
- Fruit, seeds, leaves, buds and flowers
- What habitat does the Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel live in?
- Hill and mountain forest at 200–4,000m
- Where is the Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel found?
- Southeast Asia north to central China and the eastern Himalaya, including Nepal
- What is the litter size of the Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel?
- One, occasionally two
- How big is the Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel?
- Head and body 29.5–40cm; tail 34–40.5cm
- How much does the Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel weigh?
- 760–1,560g