Common Oak vs Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel

Quercus robur compared with Trogopterus xanthipes

Key Differences

Common Oak is Least Concern while Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Oak	Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel
Kingdom	Plantae (植物)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (被子植物門)	Chordata (脊索動物)
Class	Magnoliopsida (モクレン綱)	Mammalia (哺乳類)
Order	Fagales (ブナ目)	Rodentia (ネズミ目)
Family	Fagaceae (Beech Family)	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Quercus (Oaks)	Trogopterus
Species	Quercus robur	Trogopterus xanthipes

Conservation Status

Common Oak

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Oak	Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel
Diet	Autotroph	—
Average Lifespan	1000 years	—
Average Length	25.0 m	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Oak

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho, South Africa), Asia (Armenia, India), Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (4 countries).

Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Common Oak

ヨーロッパで最も重要かつ広く分布する落葉樹の一つであるイングリッシュオーク（Quercus robur）は、1,000年以上生き、高さ40mに達し、ヨーロッパのどの樹種よりも多くの生物多様性を支える。2,300種以上の昆虫・菌類・地衣類・苔・鳥類が成熟したナラに直接依存している。ヨーロッパ全域から西アジアにかけての温帯林に分布し、その硬くて耐久性のある木材は歴史的に造船・建築・樽製造に欠かせなかった。

Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel

<em>Trogopterus xanthipes</em>, the complex-toothed flying squirrel, is a medium-sized gliding rodent in the family Pteromyidae endemic to China, where it inhabits montane broadleaf and mixed forests at elevations typically between 1,000 and 2,700 metres in provinces including Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei, and neighbouring regions. This species is the sole member of the genus Trogopterus and is distinguished by complex tooth morphology compared to other flying squirrels. Like all flying squirrels, it possesses a patagium — a gliding membrane stretching between fore and hind limbs — that enables it to glide between trees rather than undertake powered flight. The complex-toothed flying squirrel is nocturnal and arboreal, spending its days sheltering in tree hollows and foraging at night for leaves, bark, seeds, and fungi. Its faeces, known as Wuflingzhi, have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, leading to trapping pressure in parts of its range. The IUCN classifies this species as Near Threatened, reflecting population decline driven by overhunting for medicinal use and ongoing habitat loss from logging and agricultural encroachment in montane forests. Biological traits including average body mass, lifespan, litter size, and home range are partially documented but detailed population estimates are limited. Conservation measures include legal protections under Chinese wildlife law.