📸 PhotoPhoto: Alistair I. Spearing Ortiz · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Lord Derby's Anomalure
Anomalurus derbianus (Lord Derby's Anomalure · アノマルルス・デルビアヌス)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum head-and-body length of 37.9 cm is about 8 cm longer than the long side of an A4 sheet of paper (29.7 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 Its recorded single glide of 100 m is comparable to the length of a soccer field (about 100–110 m) (Comparison).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
Lord Derby's anomalure is a flying-squirrel-like rodent living in African tropical rainforests, gliding between trees by spreading a furred membrane between its forelimbs and hindlimbs.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its head and body measure 27–37.9 cm, and its tail is bushy on top with a tuft of hair at the tip. Its silvery-gray back and dense white belly help it blend into tree bark, and it has large eyes and strong claws.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It is active at dusk and night and sleeps in tree-hole nests during the day. It eats bark, fruits, leaves, flowers, and unripe nuts, and has been recorded gliding 100 m in a single leap.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2016) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/1550/115056429
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • mammaldiversity.org — 1001840
- • iucnredlist.org — 115056429
- • wikidata.org — Q302245
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Anomalurus derbianus.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Anomalurus derbianus
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · CC0 1.0 (Congeneric silhouette — Underwoodisaurus milii)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.