Beecroft's flying squirrel

It has soft, thick fur; the upper parts are brindled slate-grey, while the underparts are paler grey with an orangeish sheen or whitish.Its range extends from Senegal in the west to Nigeria, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the east, and southwards to Namibia, with a few records from Angola.They can run along branches but seldom descend to the ground as they find terrestrial locomotion difficult because their gliding membranes get in the way.In Nigeria, breeding seems to occur in the rainy season, lactating females having been found in January and October.Both parents care for the young, masticating food and bringing it to their offspring in their mouths, their cheeks swelling to the size of tangerines.
Skull of a Beecroft's flying squirrel
Conservation statusLeast ConcernIUCN 3.1Scientific classificationEukaryotaAnimaliaChordataMammaliaRodentiaAnomaluridaeAnomalurusBinomial nameFraserSynonymsrodentmonotypicplantationshabitat destructionInternational Union for Conservation of Natureoil palmtangerinesIUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesWilson, D.E.Anomaluridae (Scaly-tailed flying squirrels)AnomaluromorphaAnomalurinaeLord Derby's scaly-tailed flying squirrel (Anomalurus derbianus)Pel's flying squirrel (Anomalurus pelii)Dwarf scaly-tailed squirrel (Anomalurus pusillus)ZenkerellinaeIdiurusLong-eared flying mouse (Idiurus macrotis)Pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel (Idiurus zenkeri)ZenkerellaCameroon scaly-tail (Zenkerella insignis)WikidataWikispeciesiNaturalistOpen Tree of Life