Red-cheeked flying squirrel

The red-cheeked flying squirrel (Hylopetes spadiceus) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It is a small, nocturnal, tree-dwelling squirrel that glides between trees on a furred membrane of skin, the patagium, stretched between its fore and hind limbs. Its fur is orange-brown with brighter red-orange cheeks and tail, and adults weigh roughly 50 to 80 grams. It lives in primary forest, secondary forest, scrub and cultivated areas, nesting in hollow trees or in nests of twigs and leaves, and feeds mainly on flowers, fruit and leaves, with occasional insects. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, although loss of forest to deforestation is a pressure on it. Three subspecies are recognised, from peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra.