Flying mouse explained

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.^[1] These unusual rodents are essentially miniaturized versions of anomalures and are part of the same sub-Saharan African radiation of gliding mammal.

Characteristics

These animals resemble mice with gliding membranes and long, sparsely-haired tails. Their appearance is similar to some marsupial gliders. They are less than 10 cm (4 inches) in head and body length and weigh 14-35 grams (1/2 - 1.2 oz). They have a morphologically specialized tongue.^[2]

Flying mice are nocturnal and are found in the poorly explored tropical forests of central (and to a lesser extent western) Africa. Little is known of their habits as a result. It has been suggested that one or both species may live in colonies of dozens of individuals. Bats may also be found sharing these tree-hollow colonies.

Species

• Long-eared flying mouse (Idiurus macrotis)
• Pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel (Idiurus zenkeri)

See also

• Gliding mammal

Further reading

• Dieterlen, F. 2005. Family Anomaluridae. pp. 1532–1534 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
• Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. Academic Press Limited, London.
• Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1936 pp.
• Durrell, Gerald 1974. "The Bafut Beagles", 4th impression. Hart-Davis, MacGibbon pp 204–254

Notes and References

1. Fabre . Pierre-Henri . Tilak . Marie-Ka . Denys . Christiane . Gaubert . Philippe . Nicolas . Violaine . Douzery . Emmanuel J. P. . Marivaux . Laurent . Flightless scaly-tailed squirrels never learned how to fly: A reappraisal of Anomaluridae phylogeny . Zoologica Scripta . July 2018 . 47 . 4 . 404–417 . 10.1111/zsc.12286 .
2. Potapova . E. G. . The Tongue Structure in Scaly-Tailed Squirrels (Rodentia, Anomaluridae) . Biology Bulletin . December 2018 . 45 . 8 . 865–871 . 10.1134/S1062359018080137.