Namdapha Flying Squirrel

• The Namdapha flying squirrel has resurfaced in Arunachal Pradesh after going missing for 42 years.
• It was last described in 1981 based on a single individual found in the 1,985 sq. km. Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district.

ABOUT NAMPDAPHA FLYING SQUIRREL

• Scientific name- Biswamoyopterus biswasi
• It is an arboreal, nocturnal flying squirrel endemic to Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is one of the 43 known flying squirrel species in the world.
• These squirrels glide between trees and cannot take flight like birds or bats.
• These are herbivores thriving on fruits, nuts, seeds, fungi, flowers, and tree sap.
• Protection status
  • IUCN red list- Critically Endangered (CR)
  • Wildlife Protection Act- Schedule II
• It is among one of the 25 “most wanted lost” species targeted by the Global Wildlife Conservation’s “Search for Lost Species” initiative.