Order : RODENTIA
Family : Sciuridae
Species : Aeromys thomasi

Head-Body Length : Up to 40 cm
Tail Length : Up to 43 cm
Weight : Up to 1490 grams

Thomas's Flying Squirrel is endemic to Borneo where it inhabits tall forest, both primary and secondary, in the lowlands and in mid-montane areas at elevations of up to 1600 metres.

Its fur is reddish-brown to dark brown, with no markings to speak of : it is this plain appearance which distinguishes it from other large flying squirrels, such as the Red Giant Flying Squirrel and Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel, both of which typically have black fur on some part of the body (e.g. face, feet, tip of the tail etc.).

In common with most other flying squirrels it is exclusively nocturnal. Its diet includes forest fruits, but little else is known of its ecology.

Within Borneo, this species has been documented in parts of Sabah (including Mount Kinabalu), Sarawak, Brunei and west and east Kalimantan. It appears to be absent in the southeast of the island.

Fig 1 : Example from Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Borneo. Photo thanks to Gloria Seow.

Fig 2 : Example from Danum Valley, high in the forest canopy at around 9 pm.

Fig 3 : Tall forest at Danum Valley - despite having been partly logged, tall trees still dominate the forest and Thomas's Flying Squirrel still survives here.


References :

Payne, J., Francis, C.M., 1998. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo. The Sabah Society.

Links :

- Gloria Seow