Woolly Flying Squirrel distribution and information requested
In April 2023 we have been looking for Cheers Pheasant in Himachal Pradesh on the eastern edge of the Great Himalayan National Park. We were not planning any night or mammal watching activity, just started very early to be able to complete the climb and be in suitable habitat by dawn. We arrived to the site early when it was still dark, the beginning of twiglight (2400 meter asl) and a flying object caught my eyes as it was gliding from a great distance (from a patch of woodland) to a barren boulder.strewn hillside. It was still dark but the object landed on a rock against the sky and we could see it was a big squirrel with a huge fluffy tail. It moved higher on the slope amongst the rocks. As we had no powerful torches with us we could not take any photos. According to my research the only possible ‘flying’ species by elevation, size and having a thick bushy tail would be Eupetaurus cinereus (Western Woolly Flying Squirrel). However I could not find any information of its distribution, especially in Himachal Pradesh – although it is supposedly occurs in Kashmir and possibly in Western Nepal?! Does anybody have information of the distribution of this species? Also it is probably a threatened species so the observation could be of significance for nature conservation.
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MarbledPolecat
Hi Venkat! Thanks for the link about the Gangotri NP record. I think you are right and it probably has a contiuous distirbution to Western Nepal. I guess the habitat is special (high, steep and rocky) so less casual observers would be visiting these places at night. I am pretty certain this was the species we saw and hopefully somebody will prove it. My itention was to raise awarness. Janos
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vnsankar
Hi Janos – there are recent records of Eupetaurus cinereus from Gangotri NP in Uttarakhand: see – https://www.bnhsjournal.in/index.php/bnhs/article/view/142056 and https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/mammals-of-the-bhagirathi-basin-western-himalaya-understanding-distribution-along-spatial-gradients-of-habitats-and-disturbances/16FB8B170C0C9ACA921ABFC2F8B25E5E
Given these confirmed records and those in Pakistani Kashmir, I would not be surprised if this species has a contiguous distribution through the western Himalayas, including the region of your potential sighting.
-Venkat