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Travancore flying squirrel (Petinomys fuscocapillus) is a flying squirrel found in Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats of South India. Travancore flying squirrels were thought to be extinct but were rediscovered in 1989 after a gap of 100 years in Kerala. It was rediscovered in Sri Lanka after 78 years. The animals were reported only in wet and intermediate zones of the island, and had a few sightings in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve.
| Travancore flying squirrel | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Genus: | Petinomys |
| Species: | P. fuscocapillus |
| Binomial name | |
| Petinomys fuscocapillus (Jerdon, 1847) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sciuropterus layardi Kelaart, 1850 | |
The head and body length is 32 cm, and the tail is 25–29 cm. Dorsally, this species is reddish brown, with ruddy-tinged grayish underparts. The tail is feather-shaped and reddish brown with a blackish undersurface. Their vibrissae are black. Like other members of this genus, the fur is soft, long and sheen. [citation needed]
There are 2 subspecies:
- Petinomys fuscocapillus fuscocapillus (Jerdon, 1847) - Western Ghats of Peninsular India
- Petinomys fuscocapillus layardi (Kelaart, 1850) - Sri Lanka.
A rare, nocturnal mammal with a largely frugivorous diet, they are known to eat bark, shoots, and leaves, and sometimes insects.[2]
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