Guwahati: Very little is known about the Namdapha flying squirrel since it is an arboreal and a nocturnal species endemic to Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. The fact that it looks very similar to the Red giant flying squirrel, also distributed in Arunachal Pradesh proves it a challenging task to distinguish between the two.
There has been constant toiling among conservationists hailing from different organisations to search for this mystical species that was last described in 1981 based on a single individual.
Aaranyak’s team designed their study plan strategically by aiming to determine the particular habitat used by the evasive mammal during the first few months to curtail the effort of the team in unpopulated areas. This strategy was advantageous to the team in comparison to the previous teams who looked for the species in areas where they were unlikely to be found.
Aaranyak’s team led by Dr. Firoz Ahmed, includes Sourav Gupta, a field researcher and Sourav Mardi, a volunteer, who conducted a series of nightly visits to various potential sites which they found to be upper forest canopies close to the river. Tajum Yomcha, Research Officer, Forest Department of Arunachal Pradesh has been a field mentor to the Aaranyak team and contributed to the search and find of this elusive species.
Currently, Dr Ahmed and his team are designing a study to collect DNA samples of the squirrel in the field and later comparing the genetic material to the DNA of the individual collected in 1981 that has been stored in the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India.
The moment Sourav Gupta, a field researcher, saw the glowing eyes of Namdapha Flying Squirrel in Arunachal Pradesh, he was sure that this was the moment of reckoning.
“When I sighted the Namdapha Flying Squirrel, I was sure that this is not a Red Giant Flying Squirrel, by the glowing eyes that I experienced working for almost 1.5 years searching for the Namdapha Flying Squirrel in Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh,” he said.
After observing the species for over an hour, Gupta confirmed it to be Namdapha Flying Squirrel due to its prominent ear tufts and behaviour which differed from Red Giant Flying Squirrel. This is the first live picture of the small mammal.
The Namdapha Flying Squirrel, is one of 43 known flying squirrel species in the world. The Namdapha Flying Squirrel is the flying squirrel species with the highest extinction risk — Critically Endangered —according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
After multiple failed expeditions in search of the small mammal, one of India’s leading wildlife organisations, Aaranyak (www.aaranyak.org) started off their search with 10 expeditions for a total of 79 days around March 2021 and finally met success last year. It has joined hands with Re:wild’s Search for Lost Species program.
Sourav who used to conduct field survey from 5pm to 5am in search of the species said his eyes were full of tears and was very happy with full energy to work more and dig up more about the species
Finding a species after more than 40 years with no live observations or photographs, and a complete absence of information makes it an absolutely difficult task.
The Namdapha Flying Squirrel has been identified as one of the 10 lost small mammals for more than 40 years.
“As we pulled together a list of our most wanted lost small mammals, the Namdapha Flying Squirrel quickly rose to the top of that list,” said Dr Ros Kennerley, co-chair of the IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group (SMSG). “It was described in 1981 based on a single individual and has been a mystery to science since then. We cannot prevent the extinction of a species unless we have even basic information about them, so finding this species and learning about it is a priority for us,” Dr Ros added.
“Our team was well aware that tracking down the elusive species, missing for 42 years with no live observations or photographs, and a complete absence of information, mirrored the difficulty of finding a needle in the deep ocean. Despite the formidable task, the pursuit became enjoyable as we followed the glowing eyes in the dark. We are eagerly looking forward to securing DNA confirmation for the species” he further said.
The Namdapha Flying Squirrel looks very similar to the Red giant flying squirrel, also distributed in Arunachal Pradesh proves it a challenging task to distinguish between the two.
“Flying squirrels are majestic animals and both Namdapha flying squirrel and Red giant flying squirrel make Namdapha National Park much more special,” Dr Ahmed says.
“If we find the Namdapha Flying Squirrel, it will be a powerful flagship for conservation for both the park and other wildlife found here. And a great story of hope for the conservation of all the other most wanted lost species,” he further said.
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The team would continue its search for the elusive nocturnal denizen of Namdapha and conclude its identity with additional evidence soon.
The adventure continues and the team hopes it will be able to celebrate the rediscovery of the Namdapha Flying Squirrel soon.
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