At dusk, when the forest begins to quiet, a shadow sails through the canopy. This is the Red Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista petaurista, family Sciuridae), a remarkable rodent that can glide up to 100 m between trees (Francis, 2010). Despite its name, it does not truly fly. Its secret lies in the patagium—a skin membrane stretching between its limbs that allows it to glide gracefully (Miard et al., 2020). This species is not only a master glider but also an agile climber, moving with ease even on steep slopes.
One of the largest and most frequently sighted flying squirrels in Malaysia, the Red Giant Flying Squirrel has a body length of 40–52 cm, a tail up to 60 cm long, and weighs 1.6 – 2.9 kg (Francis, 2010). This wide-ranging species is found across Afghanistan, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo (Thorington et al., 2012). In Malaysia, it thrives in various types of forests, including disturbed forests and mixed agro-forested areas (Arifuddin et al., 2021; Arifuddin, pers. obs., 2023). It also seems to be fairly resilient to forest fragmentation (Thorington et al., 2012).
Interestingly, not all Red Giant Flying Squirrels look the same. Across its range, this species shows notable variation among subspecies, primarily in fur colour, body markings, and distribution. Subspecies that occur in Malaysia all share the characteristic black-tipped tail, but their coats tell a story of regional identity:
• The Penang Islander (Petaurista petaurista penangensis): Dark chestnut back, creamy cinnamon underparts, and an orange-brown crown tinged with grey-white (Sanamxay et al., 2015).
• The Peninsular Mainlander (P. p. melanotus): Dark brown upperparts, orange underparts, and black snout and feet (Sanamxay et al., 2015).
• The Sabah Black Beauty (P. p. nigrescens): Found around Sandakan Bay, the darkest of all, with deep cinnamon-brown upperparts and black markings on the nose, chin, eyes and ears (Francis, 2010).
• The Bornean Prince (P. p. rajah): Found in Sabah and Sarawak, up to 900 m on Mount Kinabalu. Reddish-brown upperparts and pale orange underparts (Payne et al., 2010).
These variations in colour are a beautiful example of nature’s fine-tuning to different local environments.
During the day, these elusive squirrels rest in nests located in tree cavities or epiphytes such as the bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus), usually 10–35 m above ground (Muul & Lim, 1978; Krishna et al., 2019). At night, these nocturnal mammals come out to feed on a vegetarian diet of leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, buds, bark, and even lichen (Muul & Lim, 1978; Thorington et al., 2012). Their arboreal lifestyle and nocturnal habits make them difficult to observe. Sometimes they become active just before dusk, climbing or gliding between trees. Miard et al. (2020) observed this species visiting limestone outcrops, possibly to lick minerals, as observed in the Yunnan Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista yunnanensis) (Xian & Harding, 2013). Such mineral-licking behaviour is not yet well understood, but probably to supplement nutrients that are absent from their usual herbivorous diet.
The IUCN Red List and the local Red List of Mammals for Peninsular Malaysia classify the Red Giant Flying Squirrel as Least Concern because of its wide geographic range (Duckworth, 2016; PERHILITAN, 2017). Despite this status, the species faces threats from habitat destruction and hunting for food and clothing. In northeastern India, it is hunted as an antidote for poison, and its bile is boiled as a remedy for asthma (Thorington et al., 2012). In Malaysia, the Jahai community also hunts this species, though the purpose remains unclear (Loke et al., 2019).
To safeguard this remarkable squirrel from future dangers in Malaysia, conservation efforts should focus on protecting forest habitats and curbing illegal wildlife trade and hunting. Reforestation and establishment of wildlife corridors to reconnect fragmented forests are also necessary for this graceful glider to continue flourishing in Malaysia’s forests.
