Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel vs gorilla

Trogopterus xanthipes compared with Gorilla gorilla

Key Differences

  • Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel is Near Threatened while gorilla is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel gorilla
Kingdom same Animalia (動物) Animalia (動物)
Phylum same Chordata (脊索動物) Chordata (脊索動物)
Class same Mammalia (哺乳類) Mammalia (哺乳類)
Order Rodentia (ネズミ目) Primates (サル目)
Family Sciuridae (Squirrels) Hominidae (Great Apes)
Genus Trogopterus Gorilla (Gorillas)
Species Trogopterus xanthipes Gorilla gorilla

Evolutionary Relationship

Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel and gorilla share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (哺乳類)

Conservation Status

Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel

NT — Near Threatened

gorilla

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel gorilla
Diet Herbivore
Average Lifespan 40 years
Average Length 1.7 m
Average Weight 160.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

gorilla

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 4 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Cameroon, Congo (Republic), Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

gorilla

世界最大の霊長類であるニシゴリラは体重が最大180kgに達し、赤道アフリカの熱帯・亜熱帯の森林に生息する。主に草食性で、群れを守り社会的な対立を仲裁するシルバーバック雄が率いる家族集団を形成する。森林破壊、食肉目的の密猟、エボラウイルス感染症の流行により脅威にさらされており、近絶滅種(CR)に指定されている。

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia