Petaurista philippensis (Rodentia: Sciuridae)

Abstract

Abstract: Petaurista philippensis (Elliot, 1839), commonly known as the Indian giant flying squirrel or the large brown flying squirrel, is one of the largest flying squirrels. It has a grizzled brown or claret brown coat, and a black-tipped long tail. Petaurista philippensis is distributed in a range of habitats throughout Southeast Asia, reaching a maximum elevation of 2,200 m. It is nocturnal. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as “Least Concern” (LC) on the global scale, but its populations are declining in many regions. The Indian Government has included it in Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and Sri Lanka has listed it in Schedule II (Section 30) of the Fauna and Flora Protection (Amendment) Act.