#anomalure

Beecroft's Anomalure Anomalurus beecrofti

A flying squirrel with a wide distribution in West and Central Africa. They spend the day in nests composed of leaves and twigs high up in the canopy. At dusk they leave these and glide down to lower parts of the trees to forage for nuts, fruit, seeds, leaves and bark.

Fast Fauna Facts #21 - Derby's Anomalure (Anomalurus derbianus)

Family: Anomalure Family (Anomaluridae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Tree-dwelling nocturnal rodents capable of gliding considerable distances using a membrane of skin between their limbs, anomalures like the Derby's Anomalure are similar in many ways to flying squirrels but can be distinguished from any true squirrel by their longer rat-like heads and the set of rough scales on the underside of their tails, which are believed to aid them in gripping to the trunks and branches of trees. Among the most common and widely distributed species in its rarely-spotted family, the Derby's Anomalure can be found across much of tropical mainland Africa where it inhabits rainforest canopies, resting in tree holes during the day and emerging at night to feed on bark, fruit, leaves and seeds.

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Flightless Anomalure Zenkerella insignis

A rodent from west central Africa. It is the only member of the family Zenkerellidae and is distantly related to other anomalures, or African flying squirrels.