Pel's flying squirrel

British zoologist and collector Louis Fraser exploring the Niger basin brought a specimen of Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel (Anomalurus derbianus) back to Britain.The tail was also unusual in that the free part resembled the shape of a feather, with the large cornified scales a prominent feature on the underside.The ears are of average size and partly naked, the forefeet are mostly black, the hind feet often have white patches and the tail is plume-like.[2] Pel's flying squirrel is native to West Africa where its range includes eastern Liberia, southern Ivory Coast and southwestern Ghana.[2] Given its large size, bold colouration and aggressive behaviour, this species may be able to drive off potential predators such as birds of prey, small carnivores and primates, and compete successfully with hornbills for nest sites.
Skull of a Pel's flying squirrel
Conservation statusLeast ConcernIUCN 3.1Scientific classificationEukaryotaAnimaliaChordataMammaliaRodentiaAnomaluridaeAnomalurusBinomial nameSchlegelS. MüllerrodentLiberiaIvory CoastHendrik PelColugosLouis FraserexploringLord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrelpatagiumuropatagiumpredatorsbirds of preycarnivoresprimateshornbillscopulatory plugInternational Union for Conservation of NatureIUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesCornell University PressJohns Hopkins University PressAnomaluridae (Scaly-tailed flying squirrels)AnomaluromorphaAnomalurinaeBeecroft's flying squirrel (Anomalurus beecrofti)Lord Derby's scaly-tailed flying squirrel (Anomalurus derbianus)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