Rodents

The Rodents

Photo Left: "Harvest mice; Water rat; Barbary mouse; Common rats; Common mice" Original Source: From Johnson's household book of nature, containing full & interesting descriptions of the animal kingdom. (New York : Johnson, c1880) Craig, Hugh, Editor." Wikipedia

Rodent Classificaton

The order Rodentia may be divided into suborders, infraorders,
superfamilies and families.

Order Rodentia (from Latin, rodere, to gnaw)

Suborder Anomaluromorpha
- Family Anomaluridae: scaly-tailed squirrels
- Family Pedetidae: springhares
Suborder Castorimorpha
- Superfamily Castoroidea
  - Family Castoridae: beavers
- Superfamily Geomyoidea
  - Family Geomyidae: pocket gophers (true gophers)
  - Family Heteromyidae: kangaroo rats and kangaroo mice
Suborder Hystricomorpha
- Family incertae sedis Diatomyidae: Laotian rock rat

Infraorder Ctenodactylomorphi
- Family Ctenodactylidae: gundis
Infraorder Hystricognathi

Family Bathyergidae: African mole rats
Family Hystricidae: Old World porcupines
Family Petromuridae: dassie rat
Family Thryonomyidae: cane rats

Parvorder Caviomorpha
- Family †Heptaxodontidae: giant hutias
- Family Abrocomidae: chinchilla rats
- Family Capromyidae: hutias
- Family Caviidae: cavies, including Guinea pigs and the capybara
- Family Chinchillidae: chinchillas and viscachas
- Family Ctenomyidae: tuco-tucos
- Family Dasyproctidae: agoutis
- Family Cuniculidae: pacas
- Family Dinomyidae: pacaranas
- Family Echimyidae: spiny rats
- Family Erethizontidae: New World porcupines
- Family Myocastoridae: nutria, coypu
- Family Octodontidae: octodonts

Suborder Myomorpha
- Superfamily Dipodoidea
  - Family Dipodidae: jerboas and jumping mice
- Superfamily Muroidea
  - Family Calomyscidae: mouse-like hamsters
  - Family Cricetidae: hamsters, New World rats and mice, muskrats, voles
  - Family Muridae: true mice and rats, gerbils, spiny mice, crested rat
  - Family Nesomyidae: climbing mice, rock mice, white-tailed rat, Malagasy rats and mice
  - Family Platacanthomyidae: spiny dormice
  - Family Spalacidae: mole rats, bamboo rats, and zokors
Suborder Sciuromorpha
- Family Aplodontiidae: mountain beaver
- Family Gliridae (also Myoxidae, Muscardinidae): dormice
- Family Sciuridae: squirrels, including chipmunks, prairie dogs, and marmots

List of Flying Squirrel Species

Tribe Pteromyini – flying squirrels

Subtribe Glaucomyina
- Genus Eoglaucomys
  - Kashmir flying squirrel, Eoglaucomys fimbriatus
- Genus Glaucomys – New World flying squirrels (American flying squirrels), North America
  - Southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans
  - Northern flying squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus
- Genus Hylopetes, Southeast Asia
  - Particolored flying squirrel, Hylopetes alboniger
  - Afghan flying squirrel, Hylopetes baberi
  - Bartel's flying squirrel, Hylopetes bartelsi
  - Gray-cheeked flying squirrel, Hylopetes lepidus
  - Palawan flying squirrel, Hylopetes nigripes
  - Indochinese flying squirrel, Hylopetes phayrei
  - Jentink's flying squirrel, Hylopetes platyurus
  - Sipora flying squirrel, Hylopetes sipora
  - Red-cheeked flying squirrel, Hylopetes spadiceus
  - Sumatran flying squirrel, Hylopetes winstoni
- Genus Iomys, Malaysia and Indonesia
  - Javanese flying squirrel (Horsfield's flying squirrel), Iomys horsfieldi
  - Mentawi flying squirrel, Iomys sipora
- Genus Petaurillus – pygmy flying squirrels, Borneo and the Malay Peninsula
  - Lesser pygmy flying squirrel, Petaurillus emiliae
  - Hose's pygmy flying squirrel, Petaurillus hosei
  - Selangor pygmy flying squirrel, Petaurillus kinlochii
- Genus Petinomys, Southeast Asia
  - Basilan flying squirrel, Petinomys crinitus
  - Travancore flying squirrel, Petinomys fuscocapillus
  - Whiskered flying squirrel, Petinomys genibarbis
  - Hagen's flying squirrel, Petinomys hageni
  - Siberut flying squirrel, Petinomys lugens
  - Mindanao flying squirrel, Petinomys mindanensis
  - Arrow flying squirrel, Petinomys sagitta
  - Temminck's flying squirrel, Petinomys setosus
  - Vordermann's flying squirrel, Petinomys vordermanni

Subtribe Pteromyina
- Genus Aeretes, northeastern China
  - Groove-toothed flying squirrel (North Chinese flying squirrel), Aeretes melanopterus
- Genus Aeromys – large black flying squirrels, Thailand to Borneo
  - Black flying squirrel, Aeromys tephromelas
  - Thomas's flying squirrel, Aeromys thomasi
- Genus Belomys, Southeast Asia
  - Hairy-footed flying squirrel, Belomys pearsonii
- Genus Biswamoyopterus, India and Bangladesh
  - Namdapha flying squirrel, Biswamoyopterus biswasi
- Genus Eupetaurus, Kashmir; rare
  - Woolly flying squirrel, Eupetaurus cinereus
- Genus Petaurista, Southeast Asia
  - Red and white giant flying squirrel, Petaurista alborufus
  - Spotted giant flying squirrel, Petaurista elegans
  - Hodgson's giant flying squirrel, Petaurista magnificus
  - Bhutan giant flying squirrel, Petaurista nobilis
  - Indian giant flying squirrel, Petaurista philippensis
  - Chinese giant flying squirrel, Petaurista xanthotis
  - Japanese giant flying squirrel, Petaurista leucogenys
  - Red giant flying squirrel, Petaurista petaurista
- Genus Pteromys – Old World flying squirrel, Finland to Japan
  - Siberian flying squirrel, Pteromys volans Pacific coast to the Baltic Sea
  - Japanese dwarf flying squirrel, Pteromys momonga
- Genus Pteromyscus, southern Thailand to Borneo
  - Smoky flying squirrel, Pteromyscus pulverulentus
- Genus Trogopterus, China
  - Complex-toothed flying squirrel, Trogopterus xanthipes

Two new species of flying squirrel have been recently been found in the northeastern state of India of Arunachal Pradesh.[10][11]These are:

Mechuka giant flying squirrel (Petaurista mechukaensis)
Mishmi Hills giant flying squirrel (Petaurista mishmiensis)

Web Resources

The Rat and Mouse Club of America

The Capybara Page

Kangaroo Rat Facts

The Flying Squirrels

ADW: The Flying Squirrels

ARKIVE - Northern Flying Squirrel

Projects & Activities

How to make a hampster maze - http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=JZzLxh27bAI

Rodents Journal Page: Flying Squirrels

The Southern
Flying Squirrel

Guidelines: Visit Wikipedia's article about flyings squirrels. Scroll down to where it says "Taxonomy". This would be all of the flying squirrel species listed. Choose and click on a flying squirrel name of interest. If your choice doesn't have enough information or no photograph, google the species until you find the information your looking for. You can also check out FlyingSquirrels.com.

Choose one flying squirrel of interest.
Select a picture either from the two website resources above or select a photo from a google search about your favorite flying squirrel.
Make a sketch of your flying squirrel in your Mammals Field Journal.
Color the Squirrel with its natural colors using any coloring medium you choose.
Write different facts about your flying squirrel in your journal next to your drawing. Consider writing the following facts in your journal: size, habitat range, a map of it's habit range (if you can find it; if you can't consider drawing a map), diet, natural predators and any other facts of interest.
Photograph your journal page and get closeups on text and your drawing and upload photos into your blog.

You can also use the Student Journal Page template below. For Intermediate and Advanced journal guidelines, see the Student Journal Page Setup on CurrClick Live.