Laotian Giant Flying Squirrel Facts
- Firstly, no living example of the Laotian Giant Flying Squirrel has ever been photographed. Therefore, all images in this article consist of related species used to provide a general idea of the appearance of the animal.
- This creature also constitutes a recently discovered new species of flying squirrel. An international team of biologists discovered this remarkable animal in Asia, in 2013.
- Due to this, very little detailed information remains available about this enigmatic and never photographed creature. Lastly, the new species was actually first discovered accidentally when its body was seen by a researcher at a local bush meat market in Laos.
Laotian Giant Flying Squirrel Physical Description
The Laotian Giant Flying Squirrel indeed ranks as a giant among similar species. It also has a rather astonishing overall length of roughly 42 in (1.1 m). The body measures roughly 18 in (45.7 cm), and the tail averages about 24 in (61 cm) in length.
Further, its tail and upper body show predominantly a mixture of black, gray, and a dark reddish-brown in color. The underbelly of the animal also primarily appears whitish-gray in color.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Rodentia
- Family: Sciuridae
- Genus: Biswamoyopterus
- Species: B. laoensis
Laotian Giant Flying Squirrel Distribution and Habitat
The exact extent of the habitat range of the Laotian Giant Flying Squirrel also remains unknown. These arboreal creatures so far appear to be extremely rare, however.
To date, the only known reported sightings of this previously unknown creature occurred in two protected and rather isolated areas. These happened in the Nam Kading National Biodiversity Conservation Area, and the Khammouane Limestone National Biodiversity Conservation Area.
Given the nature of the area, experts consider it likely that this animal inhabits regions of either pristine dry evergreen forest or semi-evergreen forest.