A silent glider of the Tano rainforest, soaring through moonlit branches
🔍 Quick Facts
- Common Name: Lord Derby’s Scaly-tailed Squirrel
- Scientific Name: Anomalurus derbianus
- Family: Anomaluridae (Scaly-tailed flying squirrels)
- IUCN Status: Least Concern, but locally rare
- Size: 35–45 cm (body), tail ~25–35 cm
- Activity: Nocturnal and arboreal
- Habitat: Tropical lowland and swamp forests
🌍 Distribution and Habitat
This unique mammal is found in the tropical forests of West and Central Africa, including:
- Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, and Cameroon
In the Tano River basin, it may inhabit:
- High-canopy forests such as the Tanoé-Ehy Swamp Forest Reserve
- Old-growth trees along river corridors
- Undisturbed patches of dense forest far from human settlements
Its nocturnal lifestyle and silent gliding make it extremely difficult to detect.
🪂 Appearance and Adaptations
- Fur: Soft, dark brown or greyish, sometimes with lighter underparts
- Tail: Long and bushy with a double row of overlapping scales at the base—used for grip
- Patagium: A gliding membrane stretches from limbs to tail, enabling flight-like leaps between trees
- Eyes: Large and reflective, adapted for night vision
Its scaly tail and gliding skin folds make it distinct among African rodents.
🌿 Behavior and Ecology
- Nocturnal and arboreal
- Glides up to 30 meters between trees to forage or escape predators
- Diet:
- Eats bark, leaves, fruit, seeds, and occasionally insects
- Known to gnaw on twigs and vines, possibly for minerals
Rests in tree cavities during the day, emerging quietly at dusk.
🪺 Reproduction
- Nesting in tree holes, lined with leaves and fibers
- Little is known, but likely produces 1–2 young per litter
- Young cling to the mother or nest cavity for protection
🧭 Ecological Role
- Aids in seed dispersal and forest regeneration
- Contributes to nutrient cycling by breaking down bark and plant matter
- Prey for large owls, eagles, and forest cats
As a canopy species, it reflects the health of mature forest systems.
⚠️ Conservation Concerns
Although Anomalurus derbianus is listed as Least Concern, it is vulnerable in places like the Tano region due to:
- 🌳 Logging of large trees, reducing nesting and gliding sites
- 🚜 Agricultural clearing and mining, breaking forest connectivity
- 🪤 Trapping or hunting, though rare, can occur
- 🔇 Lack of data, as its secretive habits make it understudied
🌊 Why It Matters for the Tano River
Lord Derby’s Scaly-tailed Squirrel is:
- A guardian of the canopy, gliding where no monkey or bird dares at night
- A symbol of forest depth and vertical diversity
- A reminder that preserving the upper layers of the forest is just as vital as protecting the ground
In the silence above the Tano, it floats like a leaf, unseen but not unfelt.
🔗 Have elders or hunters spoken of “flying rats” or night gliders in the forest? Do you know of trees where these squirrels might nest? Share at [TanoRiver.com/submit]
