SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 109 



wood as well. The Old World porcupines are either spiny or 

 covered with very long quills ; they are not found east of the 

 Lesser Sundas or beyond Palawan Island, north of Borneo. 



Squirrels and Flying Squirrels. Family Sciurid^ 



The members of this family have bushy tails and their cheek- 

 teeth number either five or four above and four below. The eyes 

 are large ; the muzzle in most species is broad and short. The 

 size varies from that of a large mouse to giant squirrels and 

 flying squirrels, which may reach the size of a house cat. 



Flying Squirrels 



Flying squirrels are found almost throughout the forested 

 parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. The majority of 

 the species occur in the Indian and Malaysian regions. Flying 

 squirrels live on the Japanese Islands, Formosa, the Philippines 

 (Palawan and Basilan Islands only), Sumatra, Borneo, and 

 Java ; they are also found on many of the small islands of this 

 area, but are not known to reach Bali. 



In contrast to most other squirrels, the flying squirrels are 

 nocturnal in habit, sleeping through the day in holes or nests 

 in trees or curled up in a fork. A thin, furry membrane 

 stretches between the fore and hind limbs and in some species 

 extends onto the neck and tail. 



Giant Flying Squirrels (Petaurista) are variously colored ; 

 they may be foxy red, or red spotted with white or black. They 

 occur from India to Japan, Palawan, and Java. The larger 

 species are more than a yard in total length, the tail being about 

 half of this. Their gliding membranes are the most extensive 

 of the group and partly include the rounded tail. The large size 

 of the "parachute" hinders movement in the trees so that these 

 animals are less agile than other squirrels. Individuals have 

 been known to glide distances of sixty to eighty yards. They 

 control their direction and landing very well. 



The Smaller Flying Squirrels (lomys, PteromyscuSy Petau- 



