Red giant flying squirrel

The red giant flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista), also called the common giant flying squirrel, is one of the largest arboreal squirrels and one of the longest squirrels, with a head and body of up to about 55 centimetres, a tail up to about 63 centimetres and a weight of roughly 1 to 3.2 kilograms. It ranges across Southeast Asia, north to the Himalayas and southern and central China, living in many kinds of forest, in plantations and in open country with scattered trees. All populations are reddish brown above and pale below, but colour varies so much by region that taxonomists disagree on which populations belong to this species, and several regional forms are now treated as separate species. Mostly nocturnal, it glides between trees, usually under 50 metres but sometimes much farther, and eats mainly leaves, along with shoots, flowers, fruits, nuts and bark. It is declining locally from habitat loss and hunting but remains common and is not threatened.