Idiurus macrotis
long-eared scaly-tailed flying squirrel

Idiurus macrotis is native to southern Cameroon and Eastern Zaire, and the Bwamba forests in Uganda. (Rham, 1990)

Idiurus macrotis inhabits dense tropical forests. This species is almost completely arboreal. Individuals spend days sleeping in the hollows of large trees and nights gliding from one tree to the next. (Nowak, 1997)

Idiurus macrotis is named for one of its remarkable characteristics, idios being Greek for ‘peculiar’ and oura meaning ‘tail’. The tail is longer than the head and body and is made feather-like in appearance by both long, widely spaced hairs and short, dense hairs that project laterally, almost perpendicular to the length of the tail. The hairless areas on the dorsal and ventral sides of the tail are scaly, and there are large horny scales present near the body. The tail may assist in gripping trees as well as balancing the animal.

The total length of I. macrotis is 208 to 220 mm and it weighs 25 to 35g. The pelage is short and dense and has a soft texture. The individual hairs are dark grey at the base and pale at the tips, with no patterns or color variation. The gliding membrane is also hairy. It extends between the hind- and forelimbs, with a small section connecting the wrist and neck and another enclosing a short portion of the tail and neck. The feet are covered with dark grey bristles and the claws are not very developed. The whiskers are long and black. (Julliot, Cajani, and Gautier-Hion, 1998; Kingdon, 1974; Nowak, 1997; Rham, 1990; Rosevear, 1969)

The lifespan is not known. They cannot survive for any significant time in captivity. (Julliot, Cajani, and Gautier-Hion, 1998; Kingdon, 1974)

Idiurus macrotis spend the day in colonies, clinging to the insides of hollow trees and sleeping. They may be found sharing a den with other species in the genus or some species of bats. They huddle together and are usually found in groups ranging from 2 to 40. They return to their specific den each night around 06.00 h. Dens have been observed to be inhabited for over three years. They leave the den one at a time between 18.15 and 19.00 h and stay on the den tree trunk for a half an hour before gliding to neighboring trees. They avoid leaving the trees. No kind of social interaction has been observed during the activity period. During the activity period, a translocated male was recorded as using an area seven acres large, averaging a distance of 790 m. (Julliot, Cajani, and Gautier-Hion, 1998)

Home Range

A male Idiurus macrotis that was tracked with a radio collar for 48 hours stayed within a three hectare area.

Idiurus macrotis produce a mouse-like squeak. Its primary function is not known. (Kingdon, 1974)

Stomach contents of specimens indicate that they are mostly frugivorous. Also, some bark peeling and ingestion of phloem sap has been observed, but little else is known about their feeding habits. (Julliot, Cajani, and Gautier-Hion, 1998)

Little information is available on the impact this species has on its ecosystem. Idiurus macrotis may disperse the seeds of the fruit it eats, and may damage trees by eating bark.

Idiurus macrotis is considered a lower risk, but near threatened species on the IUCN redlist. Habitat loss due to deforestation is considered the largest threat to this species.