Anomalurus derbianus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel (Anomalurus derbianus) is an anomalurid rodent native to Africa. It was named after Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel lives in tropical and subtropical rainforests in western and central Africa. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel is nocturnal, and will sleep in nests in holes in trees. They live either alone or in pairs. They move around by extending their membrane and gliding from tree to tree. Flights of up to 250 meters (820 feet) have been recorded. They will use the scales on the bottom of their tails to help themselves climb in the trees. Lord Derby's scaly-tailed flying squirrels are mainly herbivorous, eating plant matter such as leaves, bark, green nuts, fruit and flowers.
Animal diversity web on Anomalurus derbianus Corbin, C., and Cordeiro, N. J. (2006). Gliding characteristics of Lord Derby... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taï National Park | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | |
| 2 | Odzala-Kokoua National Park | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Derby's Flying Squirrel sighting in Odzala-Kokoua National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 28th most-seen of the 32 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March and October–November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Derby's Flying Squirrel in Odzala-Kokoua National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–September and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Derby's Flying Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Derby's Flying Squirrel sightings, Odzala-Kokoua National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Taï National Park (Ivory Coast, about 50%).
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Derby's Flying Squirrel that you can see in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (order Rodentia, Rodents) are African Brush-tailed Porcupine (about 30%), Red-legged Sun Squirrel (about 30%) and Forest Giant Squirrel (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Derby's Flying Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
