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.
| Flying mouse | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Anomaluridae |
| Genus: | Idiurus Matschie, 1894 |
| Type species | |
| Idiurus zenkeri | |
| Species | |
Characteristics
editThese 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
edit- Long-eared flying mouse (Idiurus macrotis)
- Pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel (Idiurus zenkeri)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Fabre, Pierre-Henri; Tilak, Marie-Ka; Denys, Christiane; Gaubert, Philippe; Nicolas, Violaine; Douzery, Emmanuel J. P.; Marivaux, Laurent (July 2018). "Flightless scaly-tailed squirrels never learned how to fly: A reappraisal of Anomaluridae phylogeny". Zoologica Scripta. 47 (4): 404–417. doi:10.1111/zsc.12286.
- ^ Potapova, E. G. (December 2018). "The Tongue Structure in Scaly-Tailed Squirrels (Rodentia, Anomaluridae)". Biology Bulletin. 45 (8): 865–871. doi:10.1134/S1062359018080137.
Further reading
edit- 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. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
- Durrell, Gerald 1974. "The Bafut Beagles", 4th impression. Hart-Davis, MacGibbon pp 204–254( ISBN 0 246 63513 4)