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
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
. These unusual rodents are essentially miniaturized versions of
anomalures
The Anomaluridae are a family of rodents found in central Africa. They are known as anomalures or scaly-tailed squirrels. The six extant species are classified into two genera.
All anomalurids have membranes between their front and hind legs li ...
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).
Flying mice are
nocturnal and are found in the poorly explored
tropical forest
Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds.
Some tropical fore ...
s of central (and to a lesser extent western)
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. Little is known of their habits as a result. It has been suggested that one or both species may live in
colonies
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...
of dozens of individuals.
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
s may also be found sharing these
tree-hollow colonies.
Species
*
Long-eared flying mouse
The long-eared flying mouse (''Idiurus macrotis'') or long-eared scaly-tailed flying squirrel, is a species of flying mouse from western and central Africa. It is not actually a squirrel, nor a mouse, though it is a rodent. Not much is known a ...
(''Idiurus macrotis'')
*
Pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel
The pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel (''Idiurus zenkeri'') is a species of rodent in the family Anomaluridae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and ...
(''Idiurus zenkeri'')
See also
*
Gliding mammal
References
*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( )
{{Taxonbar, from=Q928256
Anomalures