Beecroft's thorn-tailed squirrel

Beecroft's thorn-tailed squirrel

We are delighted that Rainer Trude, tax consultant, Trude & Kollegen law firm, Bonn, has taken on the sponsorship of the Beecroft's thorn-tailed squirrel (Anomalurus beecrofti).

Thorn-tailed squirrels are typical inhabitants of the upper canopy layers in Central and West African rainforests. They have developed a very special adaptation for travelling in the treetops: Flying skins, which stretch between the front and hind legs, enable the nocturnal rodents to cover distances of up to 100 metres (!) in gliding flight.

They get their name from a row of thorny scales on the underside of their tail. Together with their pointed claws, they serve the animals as a climbing aid in the branches of the richly structured canopies.

Beecroft's thorn-tailed squirrels have a large distribution area in the rainforests, palm-covered swamp forests and dry forests of Equatorial Africa and are not uncommon there. Nevertheless, the shy animals are difficult to observe and there are only a few specimens of this species in collections. The thorn-tailed squirrel is therefore one of our very special sponsored animals.