Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel

The Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus gaoligongensis) is a species of large, arboreal flying squirrel endemic to highland forests in southwestern China.[1]

Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Biswamoyopterus
Species:
B. gaoligongensis
Binomial name
Biswamoyopterus gaoligongensis
Li et al, 2019

It is the third known member of the highly elusive genus Biswamoyopterus. It was described from two specimens discovered in 2017 and 2018, in the vicinity of Mount Gaoligong in the western Yunnan Province. These specimens were distinct from the other two species in the genus in both coloration and skull shape, indicating that they belonged to a distinct species. This species has also been photographed at two different localities at the eastern and western slopes of Mount Gaoligong.[1][2][3] A single specimen of the Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel had a head-and-body length of 44 cm (1 ft 5 in), a tail length of 52 cm (1 ft 8 in) and a weight of 1.370 kg (3.02 lb).[1] Despite being distantly related, the Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel is easily confused with the more common Yunnan giant flying squirrel; they occur together at Mount Gaoligong.[4]

Its natural habitat is evergreen broadleaf forest at an altitude of about 2,000 m (6,600 ft) above sea level. Due to its restricted distribution and general rarity, it is threatened by human activities such as agriculture and poaching.[1][2]

References
  1. Jiang, Xue-Long; Song, Wen-Yu; Zhao, Wei; Jiang, Ming; Li, Fei; Jackson, Stephen M.; Li, Xue-You; Li, Quan (2019-07-18). "Discovery and description of a mysterious Asian flying squirrel (Rodentia, Sciuridae, Biswamoyopterus) from Mount Gaoligong, southwest China". ZooKeys (864): 147–160. doi:10.3897/zookeys.864.33678. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 6658571. PMID 31367180.
  2. "Meet the newest species from an extremely rare flying squirrel family • Earth.com". Earth.com. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  3. "New species of flying squirrel discovered in China - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  4. 崔晨韜 陳堅 喻一偉 (19 July 2019). "新物種！雲南高黎貢山發現高黎貢比氏鼯鼠" (in Chinese). kknews.cc. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
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