This species is very widespread in Subsaharan Africa. It ranges in West Africa from Sierra Leone eastwards to the Dahomey Gap, and then from Nigeria into West Africa, where it ranges from Cameroon, southwards as far as central Angola, and eastwards as far as eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda. In East Africa, it has been recorded from Uganda, western Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia (though not yet recorded from Katanga Province). It is likely to occur in Benin, although there are no specimen records from this country. It has been recorded on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. It has been recorded up to 2,400 m asl.

Lord Derby's flying squirrel inhabits the tropical and subtropical forests of western and central Africa.

Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )

Anomalurus derbianus are squirrel-like in form and have a head-body length of 27-37.9 cm. Their tail is approximately 22-28.4 centimeters in length. The upper side of the tail is bushy with a hairy tuft at the end. The fur is silvery-grey on its dorsal side, with the ends of individual hairs brushed in white. The fur on the belly is dense and completely white. These color markings blend well against the background of a tree. Lord Derby's flying squirrels have long whiskers, big pouch-like ears, and large eyes. Their digits are well developed and they have strong claws. Anomalurus derbianus possess a hairy gliding membrane that extends between the forelimbs and the hind limbs and between the hind legs and the tail. This membrane is heavily covered with hair on the top, and sparsely covered on the underside. These scaly-tailed squirrels receive their name from the presence of two rows of overlapping scales on the underside of the tail near the base (Grzimek, 1990) (Nowak, 1991) (Rosevear, 1969).

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial

The principle habitat is heavy virgin rainforests (Grzimek, 1990) (Nowak, 1991).

Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest

Lord Derby's flying squirrels are herbivorous, eating a variety of plant products such as bark, fruit, leaves, flowers, and green nuts. Insects are sometimes included in the diet, but this is most likely by accident (Grzimek, 1990) (MacDonald, 1985).

In West Africa, the main breeding season of A. derbianus seems to be at the end of the rainy season. In East Africa, however, no definite breeding season is apparent. Females, possessing one pair of teats, have two litters of 1-3 young per year; the gestation period is unknown. At birth, babies are large and completely covered with fur. Their eyes are open, and they begin to move around soon after birth. However, the young remain hidden in the nest until almost fully grown. Offspring are fed by the parents, which bring back well chewed up food in their mouths. (Delany, 1975) (Grzimek, 1990) (MacDonald, 1985).

Due to the rapid deforestation of their habitat, Lord Derby's flying squirrels are increasingly endangered. No specific protection, however, exists for this species. Any attempts to decrease habitat destruction in Africa will help protect A. derbianus (Grzimek, 1991).

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

Conservation Actions