Kingdom Animalia Tribe Pteromyini Phylum Chordata Order Rodent | Family Sciuridae Scientific name Pteromys Rank Genus | |
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Lower classifications Siberian flying squirrel, Japanese dwarf flying squirrel | ||
Commonly referred to as simply the Old World flying squirrels, the genus Pteromys is distributed across temperate Eurasia, Korean Peninsula and Japan. Although there are a host of flying squirrel genera in Asia (particularly southern Asia), Pteromys is the only one present in Europe.
Contents
Characteristics
These large-eyed animals are nocturnal and use a membrane stretching from their wrists to ankles in order to glide from tree to tree. They can glide up to 443 feet (135 m) and have a long flat tail. They feed on nuts, seeds, fruit, buds, bark, and insects.
Species
There are two species in this genus:
References
Old World flying squirrel Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA