Ajay Kumar at 16:54, 29 August 2023

2023-08-29T16:54:44Z

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{{Short description|Species of rodent}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Indian giant flying squirrel
| image = Indian giant flying squirrel.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Walston, J.|author2=Duckworth, J.W.|author3=Molur, S.| title = ''Petaurista philippensis'' |errata=2020 | volume= 2016| page = e.T16724A184098981 | year =2016 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T16724A184098981.en }}</ref>
| genus = Petaurista
| species = philippensis
| authority = ([[Walter Elliot (naturalist)|Elliot]], 1839)
| range_map = Petaurista philippensis distribution map.png
| range_map_caption = Range in red as reported by the [[IUCN]], but [[#Distribution, habitat and taxonomy|see text]]
| synonyms =
}}

The '''Indian giant flying squirrel''' ('''''Petaurista philippensis'''''), also called the '''large brown flying squirrel''' or the '''common giant flying squirrel''', is a species of [[rodent]] in the family [[Sciuridae]]. It is capable of gliding flight using a skin membrane stretched between front and hind legs. It is found in mainland Southeast and South Asia, and southern and central China.

==Description==
[[File:Indian Giant Flying Squirrel captured at Polo Forests, Sabarkantha, Gujarat India.jpg|thumb|left|In a ''[[Ficus racemosa]]'', in Polo Forest, Sabarkantha, Gujarat, India]]
This is a large species, with a head and body length of about 43 cm and a tail of 50–52 cm. It has black to gray-brown fur, long and soft on the upper parts and somewhat shorter underneath the body, with a grizzled appearance. A wing membrane between the forelimb and hindlimb, paler coloured underneath, allows gliding between trees. The tail is hairy and blackish to gray-brown, the feet are black, and the nose is pale pink with black [[vibrissae]].<ref name=MSL>{{cite book|author=Yapa, A.|author2=Ratnavira, G.|year=2013|title= Mammals of Sri Lanka |publisher=Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka |location= Colombo |pages= 1012|isbn= 978-955-8576-32-8}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
Its [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]] is very complex and not fully resolved. Up until the 1980s, some authorities even listed the Indian giant flying squirrel itself as a [[subspecies]] of the [[red giant flying squirrel]] (''P. petaurista'').<ref name=JacksonThorington2012>{{cite journal | author1=Jackson, S.M. | author2=R.W. Thorington Jr. | year=2012 | title=Gliding Mammals – Taxonomy of Living and Extinct Species | journal=Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology | volume=638 | issue=638 | pages=1–117 | doi=10.5479/si.00810282.638.1 | url=https://figshare.com/articles/Gliding_Mammals_Taxonomy_of_Living_and_Extinct_Species/9762035 }}</ref> In 2005, ''[[Mammal Species of the World]]'' included ''[[Petaurista grandis|grandis]]'', ''[[Petaurista yunanensis|yunanensis]]'', ''hainana'', ''[[Yunnan giant flying squirrel|nigra]]'', [[Red giant flying squirrel#Subspecies rubicundus and rufipes|''rubicundus'' and ''rufipes'']] (last four as [[Synonym (biology)|synonyms]] of ''yunanensis'') in the Indian giant flying squirrel.<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Sciuridae |id=12400413 | heading=Species ''Petaurista philippensis''}}</ref> Later studies have confirmed that all these are distinct and not closely related to the Indian giant flying squirrel; placing them together would result in a strongly [[polyphyletic]] "species".<ref name=Oshida2004>{{cite journal | author1=Oshida, T. | author2=C.M. Shafique | author3=S. Barkati | author4=Y. Fujita | author5=L.-K. Lin | author6=R. Masuda | year=2004 | title=A Preliminary Study on Molecular Phylogeny of Giant Flying Squirrels, Genus Petaurista (Rodentia, Sciuraidae) Based on Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Sequences | journal=Russian Journal Theriology | volume=3 | issue=1 | pages=15–24 | doi=10.15298/rusjtheriol.03.1.04 | doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=Yu2006>{{cite journal | author1=Yu, F.R. | author2=F.H. Yu | author3=J.F. Peng | author4=C.W. Kilpatrick | author5=P.M. McGuire | author6=Y.X. Wang | author7=S.Q. Lu | author8=C.A. Woods | year=2006 | title=Phylogeny and biogeography of the Petaurista philippensis complex (Rodentia: Sciuridae), inter- and intraspecific relationships inferred from molecular and morphometric analysis | journal=Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. | volume=38 | issue=3 | pages=755–766 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2005.12.002 | pmid=16414285 }}</ref><ref name=Oshida2010>{{cite journal | author1=Oshida, T. | display-authors=etal | year=2010 | title=Phylogenetics of Petaurista in light of specimens collected from northern Vietnam | journal=Mammal Study | volume=35 | pages=85–91 | doi=10.3106/041.035.0107 | s2cid=85670447 }}</ref><ref name=Li2013>{{cite journal | author1=Li, S. | author2=K. He | author3=F.-H. Yu | author4=Q.-S. Yang | year=2013 | title=Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeography of Petaurista Inferred from the Cytochrome b Gene, with Implications for the Taxonomic Status of P. caniceps, P. marica and P. sybilla | journal=PLOS ONE | volume=8 | issue=7 | page=e70461 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0070461 | pmid=23922995 | pmc=3724786 | bibcode=2013PLoSO...870461L | doi-access=free }}</ref> As a consequence, recent authorities have generally recognized them as part of the red giant flying squirrel or as their own species; the [[Formosan giant flying squirrel]] (''P. grandis'') of [[Taiwan]], Hainan giant flying squirrel (''P. hainana'') of [[Hainan]], and [[Yunnan giant flying squirrel]] (''P. yunanensis'') in northeastern India, south-central China, Myanmar, northern Laos and northern Vietnam (the extent of its range in the last three countries is labelled with considerable uncertainty).<ref name=JacksonThorington2012/><ref name=Jackson2012>{{cite book | author=Jackson, S.M. | year=2012 | title=Gliding Mammals of the World | publisher=CSIRO Publishing | pages=112–135 | isbn=9780643092600 }}</ref><ref name=Francis2019>{{cite book | author=Francis, C.M. | year=2019 | title=A Guide to the Mammals of Southeast Asia | pages=164–165, 362–363 | publisher=New Holland Publishers | edition=2 | isbn=978-1-4729-3497-0 }}</ref> The Formosan and Hainan giant flying squirrels have fully separate ranges, but the Yunnan giant flying squirrel is [[sympatric]] with the Indian giant flying squirrel.<ref name=Yu2006/><ref name=Jackson2012/>

==Distribution, habitat and taxonomy==
[[File:'Indian Giant Flying Squirrel Dahod.jpg|thumb|In the Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary, [[Dahod]], [[Central Gujarat]], [[India]]]]
The species is native to China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It inhabits dry deciduous and evergreen forest, usually at higher elevations from {{cvt|500-2000|m|ft}} and has been recorded on plantations.<ref name=iucn/>

==Ecology==
The Indian giant flying squirrel is nocturnal and arboreal, spending most of its life in the canopy. Nests are made in tree hollows lined with bark, fur, moss, and leaves. The species is sociable when food is abundant, but intraspecies attacks increase with food scarcity. Vocalizations are similar to those of the [[spot-bellied eagle-owl]].<ref name=MSL/>

==Diet==
The species is mainly frugivorous, preferring the fruits of ''[[Ficus racemosa]]'', followed by ''[[Cullenia]]'' and ''[[Artocarpus heterophyllus]]''. It also takes bark, tree resins, shoots, leaves (particularly of ''F. racemosa''), insects, and larvae. Squirrels were shown to be somewhat tolerant of disturbance when foraging, and to exploit food resources at the forest edge, including exotic planted species.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Nandini|first1=R.|last2=Parthasarathy|first2=N.|year=2008|title=Food habits of the Indian giant flying squirrel (Petaurista philippensis) in a rain forest fragment, Western Ghats|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|volume=89|issue=6|pages=1550–1556|doi=10.1644/08-mamm-a-063.1|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Reproduction==
Female gives birth to a single offspring during mid June. Pups born blind, with a head that is disproportionately large when compared with the body.<ref name=MSL/>
==See also==
* [[Indian giant squirrel]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal | last1 = Koli | first1 = VK. | last2 = Bhatnagar | first2 = C | last3 = Mali | first3 = D. | year = 2011 | title = Gliding behaviour of Indian Giant Flying Squirrel ''Petaurista philippensis'' Elliot | url = http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/100/10/1563.pdf | journal = Current Science | volume = 100 | issue = 10| pages = 1563–1568 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Nandini | first1 = R. | last2 = Parthasarathy | first2 = N. | year = 2008 | title = Food habits of the Indian Giant Flying Squirrel (''Petaurista philippensis'') in rain forest fragment, Western Ghats | journal = J. Mammal. | volume = 89 | issue = 6 | pages = 1550–1556 | doi = 10.1644/08-mamm-a-063.1 | doi-access = free }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Koli | first1 = VK. | last2 = Bhatnagar | first2 = C | last3 = Sharma | first3 = S.K. | year = 2013 | title = Distribution and status of Indian Giant Flying Squirrel (''Petaurista philippensis'' Elliot) in Rajasthan, India | journal = Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett. | volume = 36 | issue = 1| pages = 27–33 | doi=10.1007/s40009-012-0105-z| s2cid = 86161494 }}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1767097}}

[[Category:Petaurista]]
[[Category:Mammals of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Rodents of China]]
[[Category:Rodents of India]]
[[Category:Rodents of Indonesia]]
[[Category:Rodents of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Mammals of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Rodents of Thailand]]
[[Category:Fauna of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1839]]
[[Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot]]

Indian giant flying squirrel - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 16:54, 29 August 2023