Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel

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Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel
Anomalurus derbianus (Anomalurus fraseri) - Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria - Genoa, Italy - DSC02772.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Anomaluridae
Genus: Anomalurus
Species:
A. derbianus
Binomial name
Anomalurus derbianus
(J. E. Gray, 1842)
Anomalurus derbianus distribution (colored).png
Synonyms

Anomalurus beldeni
Anomalurus chrysophaenus
Anomalurus cinereus
Anomalurus erythronotus
Anomalurus fraseri
Anomalurus jacksoni
Anomalurus neavei
Anomalurus nigrensis
Anomalurus orientalis
Anomalurus squamicaudus

Contents

Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel [1] (Anomalurus derbianus) is an anomalurid rodent native to Africa. It was named after Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby.

Range and habitat

Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel lives in tropical and subtropical rainforests in western and central Africa. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

Behavior

Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel is nocturnal, and will sleep in nests in holes in trees. They live either alone or in pairs. They move around by extending their membrane and gliding from tree to tree. Flights of up to 250 meters (820 feet) have been recorded. They will use the scales on the bottom of their tails to help themselves climb in the trees. Lord Derby's scaly-tailed flying squirrels are mainly herbivorous, eating plant matter such as leaves, bark, green nuts, fruit and flowers.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

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The Anomaluridae are a family of rodents found in central Africa. They are known as anomalures or scaly-tailed squirrels. The six extant species are classified into two genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-eared flying mouse</span> Species of rodent

The long-eared flying mouse or long-eared scaly-tailed flying squirrel, is a species of flying mouse from western and central Africa. It is not actually a squirrel, nor a mouse, though it is a rodent. Not much is known about them because they are very hard to keep alive in captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying mouse</span> Genus of rodents

The flying mice, also known as the pygmy scaly-tails, pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrels, or pygmy anomalures are not true mice, not true squirrels, and are not capable of true flight. These unusual rodents are essentially miniaturized versions of anomalures and are part of the same sub-Saharan African radiation of gliding mammal.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beecroft's flying squirrel</span> Species of rodent

Beecroft's flying squirrel or Beecroft's scaly-tailed squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Anomaluridae. Some authorities consider it to be monotypic within the genus Anomalurops. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat destruction but is a common species with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pel's flying squirrel</span> Species of rodent

Pel's flying squirrel or Pel's scaly-tailed squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Anomaluridae. It is found in Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, where it lives in lowland tropical rainforests. It is named after Hendrik Pel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf scaly-tailed squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The dwarf scaly-tailed squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Anomaluridae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Uganda. The species is nocturnal and arboreal and lives in subtropical or tropical lowland rainforest. Membranes attached to its limbs and tail enable it to glide between trees. This squirrel is currently not considered to be threatened by habitat destruction; "much of the habitat within parts of the known range of this species is relatively intact, and the species is unlikely to be experiencing any significant declines."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest giant squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The forest giant squirrel or Stanger's squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found in Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and plantations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameroon scaly-tail</span> Species of rodent

The Cameroon scaly-tail, also referred to as the Cameroon anomalure, flightless anomalure or flightless scaly-tail, is a rodent species endemic to West Central Africa. The scientific literature has never reported observations of live individuals. The taxonomic classification of the species has been subject to recent revision.

<i>Zenkerella</i> (rodent) Genus of rodent

Zenkerella is a genus of rodent, the only member of the family Zenkerellidae. It was formerly classified in Anomaluridae until phylogenetic studies made its distinctiveness clear. While the Anomalurus of the family Anomaluridae has gliding membranes between its forelimb and hindlimb, the Zenkerella has no such adaptation. It is estimated from fossil records that this divergence might have occurred in the middle of the Eocene.

The Misuku Hills are a mountain range in Malawi's Northern Region.

References

  1. 1 2 Howell, K.; Hutterer, R & Ekué, M. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Anomalurus derbianus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T1550A115056429. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T1550A22183081.en .