Recently, a fourth Indian giant flying squirrel (Petaurasia philippensis), died of electrocution in recent months within Udhagamandalam town in Tamil Nadu.
Key points
- Flying squirrels were especially prone to electrocution deaths due to the animals gliding into power lines running close to reserve forests and wooded areas.
- The rarely spotted animal, due to being a nocturnal species, is usually seen in plantations and Shola forests in the Upper Nilgiris, and is far more difficult to spot than its counterpart, the Malabar giant squirrel in the Nilgiris.
- They tend to consume the pith of the plant, but will also feed on twigs, leaves, bark, flowers, fruits and seeds.
- Although named the Indian Giant Flying Squirrel, this species is fairly widely distributed throughout Asia and can also be found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand and Vietnam.
