Anomalurus derbianus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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 |
No species of the same family or order lives in Taï National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Derby's Flying Squirrel sighting in Taï National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Derby's Flying Squirrel in Taï National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March, July and September, the lowest months. That is one of Taï National Park's wettest months, with about 280 mm of rain against 40 mm in December. October to February have too few records to rate.
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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Derby's Flying Squirrel sightings, Taï National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Odzala-Kokoua National Park (Republic of the Congo, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Derby's Flying Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Taï National Park (10 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.
