Long-eared Flying Mouse
Encyclopedia
The Long-eared Flying Mouse (Idiurus macrotis), or Long-eared Scaly-tailed Flying Squirrel, is a species of flying mouse from western and central Africa
. It is not actually a :squirrel, nor a :mouse, though it is a rodent. Not much is known about them because they are very hard to keep alive in captivity
.
To 'fly' or rather glide, it uses two membranes which fold up when not in use. When the limbs are stretched wide in a star-shape, the membranes become taut and allow the rodent
to glide from tree to tree. Idiurus spends all of its time in the trees, living in hollow trunks in groups of 2 to 40. It is believed to be mainly frugivorous (fruit-eating) according to the limited information available. It has a long tail in proportion to its body, sporting two lines of raised scales, and patches of scaly skin to help it grip trees, but the rest of its body is furry. The tail is longer than the body and is also used to balance, like a primate
's tail. Long-eared scaly-tailed flying squirrels are about 20cm long and weigh 30g. In comparison, the common household mouse is approximately 10 cm long and its tail is approximately 5 cm (a combined length of about 15 cm).
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. It is not actually a :squirrel, nor a :mouse, though it is a rodent. Not much is known about them because they are very hard to keep alive in captivity
Captivity (animal)
Animals that live under human care are in captivity. Captivity can be used as a generalizing term to describe the keeping of either domesticated animals or wild animals. This may include for example farms, private homes and zoos...
.
To 'fly' or rather glide, it uses two membranes which fold up when not in use. When the limbs are stretched wide in a star-shape, the membranes become taut and allow the rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
to glide from tree to tree. Idiurus spends all of its time in the trees, living in hollow trunks in groups of 2 to 40. It is believed to be mainly frugivorous (fruit-eating) according to the limited information available. It has a long tail in proportion to its body, sporting two lines of raised scales, and patches of scaly skin to help it grip trees, but the rest of its body is furry. The tail is longer than the body and is also used to balance, like a primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
's tail. Long-eared scaly-tailed flying squirrels are about 20cm long and weigh 30g. In comparison, the common household mouse is approximately 10 cm long and its tail is approximately 5 cm (a combined length of about 15 cm).