The Chinese giant flying squirrel (''Petaurista xanthotis'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

in the family

Sciuridae Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to China. It inhabits high-elevation spruce forests in China and feeds nocturnally on young shoots, leaves, and pine nuts. It nests in trees but does not hibernate. Its litter size averages two.Smith, A. and Xie, Y. (2008). ''The Mammals of China''. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

References

Rodents of China Petaurista Mammals described in 1872 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Squirrel-stub