Bed-jacket vs Fuchi Wushu

Alectryon tomentosus compared with Trogopterus xanthipes

Key Differences

  • Bed-jacket is Least Concern while Fuchi Wushu is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Bed-jacket Fuchi Wushu
Kingdom Plantae (植物) Animalia (动物界)
Phylum Magnoliophyta (木兰植物门) Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class Magnoliopsida (木兰纲) Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order Sapindales (无患子目) Rodentia (啮齿目)
Family Sapindaceae Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus Alectryon Trogopterus
Species Alectryon tomentosus Trogopterus xanthipes

Conservation Status

Bed-jacket

LC — Least Concern

Fuchi Wushu

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Bed-jacket Fuchi Wushu
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bed-jacket

Habitat

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

Fuchi Wushu

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Bed-jacket

The Bed-jacket (Alectryon tomentosus) is a species in the genus Alectryon. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Fuchi Wushu

<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.

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia