The Woolly Flying Squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus) is the sole species placed in the genus Eupetaurus. Until recently scientific knowledge of this rare species was limited to a few skins collected in the late nineteenth century. However, recent research has confirmed that it is still extant in PakistaniKashmir. It is the longest member of the family Sciuridae and the most massive gliding animal known, but observations confirm that despite its size, it does glide effectively like other flying squirrels.
References
Zahler, P. (1996). Rediscovery of the woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus). Journal of Mammalogy, 77, 54-57.
Zahler, P. (2001). The woolly flying squirrel and gliding: does size matter? Acta Theriologica, 46, 429-435.
The 2 species of the genus Glaucomys (Glaucomys sabrinus and Glaucomys volans) are native to North America, and it is these that are most often meant when the name "flyingsquirrel" is used in English.
Flyingsquirrels do not fly in the same sense as birds or bats - they do not employ powered flight.
Though their lifespan is only about five years in the wild, flyingsquirrels often live between 10 and 15 years in captivity.
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