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Palm Oil Detectives Feb 4, 2021

Mentawi Flying Squirrel Iomys sipora

IUCN Status: Endangered

Location: Indonesia (Mentawai Islands: Sipura and North Pagai)

The #Mentawi Flying #Squirrel (Iomys sipora), endemic to the remote Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, is a rare and elusive species that glides effortlessly through the dense tropical canopy. Unlike their more widespread relatives, these unique flying squirrels are confined to just two islands, #Sipura and North Pagai, where they depend entirely on the survival of lowland primary forests. With velvety fur, large nocturnal eyes, and a patagium—an outstretched skin membrane allowing them to glide between trees—these squirrels are adapted to a life above the ground. However, relentless deforestation for palm oil plantations, logging, and agriculture has devastated their habitat, putting them at serious risk of extinction. Despite repeated surveys, including a 1991 study by the National Museum of #Indonesia, sightings of Iomys sipora are alarmingly rare, raising fears that their population may be critically low—or even lost. With no conservation measures in place, urgent action is needed to prevent their disappearance. Boycott #deforestation-linked products and support indigenous-led conservation. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.

Gliding between trees in #Indonesia 🇮🇩with effortless grace, the Mentawi Flying #Squirrel 🦦is a sight to behold. They need #rainforest to survive. #PalmOil is a threat, make sure you #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔💀🤮🧐🙊⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/05/mentawi-flying-squirrel-iomys-sipora/

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This squirrel is threatened by forest loss due to logging and agricultural conversion.

IUCN Red list

Appearance and Behaviour

The world’s gliding mammals are an extraordinary group of animals that have the ability to glide from tree to tree with seemingly effortless grace. There are more than 60 species of gliding mammals including the flying squirrels from Europe and North America, the scaly-tailed flying squirrels from central Africa and the gliding possums of Australia and New Guinea.

The Mentawi Flying Squirrel is a striking and little-documented species with dense, velvety fur ranging from reddish-brown to deep grey. Their large, round eyes are adapted for night vision, enabling them to forage under the cover of darkness. A defining feature of this species is its patagium— a thin membrane of skin stretching between its limbs—that allows them to glide through the air with remarkable agility. This natural adaptation enables them to travel between trees without descending to the forest floor, avoiding predators while seeking food. Despite their impressive gliding ability, their dependence on intact rainforest means they struggle to survive in fragmented landscapes, making habitat loss a critical threat.

Threats

The Mentawi Flying Squirrel lives in primary forests up to 500 m. Habitat loss on the two islands represents a major threat to this lowland species.

Palm Oil Deforestation and Habitat Destruction

The Mentawai Islands are experiencing rapid deforestation, with lowland primary forests being cleared for palm oil plantations, logging, and agriculture. Iomys sipora relies entirely on undisturbed rainforest, and the loss of old-growth trees has significantly reduced available nesting sites and food sources. Once widespread, they are now found in just two fragmented locations, and their numbers are declining.

Illegal Wildlife Trade Extirpation

A 1991 survey failed to locate any individuals, raising concerns that populations may already be critically low or locally extinct. Habitat degradation and fragmentation mean that surviving populations are likely small and isolated, making recovery efforts increasingly difficult.

Agricultural Expansion and Infrastructure

Beyond palm oil, the Mentawai Islands face destruction from logging, rubber plantations, and road development, which further degrade the remaining habitat. Unlike more adaptable rodents, these flying squirrels cannot survive in secondary forests, making primary forest loss particularly devastating.

Climate Change and Extreme Weather Patterns

Climate change is altering rainfall patterns and increasing temperatures, which could further threaten this species’ delicate forest ecosystem. Rising temperatures may also affect fruiting seasons, reducing their food supply and further impacting their already struggling population.

Diet

Like other flying squirrels, Iomys sipora is primarily herbivorous, feeding on a mix of fruits, seeds, leaves, and flowers. Their diet plays a vital role in seed dispersal, helping regenerate their native rainforest. They rely on old-growth trees, which provide an abundance of food sources, but as these trees are felled, their dietary options become severely limited.

Reproduction and Mating

Due to the extreme rarity of Iomys sipora, very little is known about their reproductive habits. However, they are presumed to be solitary nesters, using tree hollows to raise their young. Like other flying squirrels, females likely give birth to one or two pups per litter, which remain dependent on their mothers until they develop the ability to glide and forage independently. The loss of old-growth trees also removes critical nesting sites, impacting their reproductive success and ability to recover from population losses.

Geographic Range

The Mentawi Flying Squirrel is restricted to two islands in Indonesia:

• Sipura Island

• North Pagai Island

Both islands are part of the Mentawai Archipelago, located off the coast of Sumatra. Their habitat is limited to lowland tropical primary forests below 500 metres above sea level, an ecosystem rapidly disappearing due to human activity.

FAQs

Why is the Mentawi Flying Squirrel endangered?

This species is classified as endangered due to its highly restricted range and ongoing deforestation. Logging, palm oil plantations, and habitat destruction have driven it to the brink, with no known conservation measures in place to protect its remaining populations.

Do Mentawi Flying Squirrels make good pets?

No. The illegal pet trade has devastating effects on wildlife, and keeping a Mentawi Flying Squirrel as a pet would contribute to their decline. These animals are highly specialised and cannot survive in captivity, often dying due to stress or inadequate care. Removing individuals from the wild further destabilises already fragile populations. If you care about their survival, support habitat protection and never purchase exotic pets.

How does palm oil impact the Mentawi Flying Squirrel?

Palm oil plantations are a primary driver of deforestation in Indonesia, replacing biodiverse rainforests with monoculture wastelands that provide no habitat for native species. These plantations have destroyed much of the Mentawai Islands’ primary forest, leaving little space for this already endangered species. Boycotting palm oil products is a direct way to protect their habitat.

How can we protect the Mentawi Flying Squirrel?

The most important conservation efforts include:

• Protecting remaining old-growth forests on the Mentawai Islands.

• Supporting indigenous-led conservation efforts, which are crucial for preserving biodiversity.

• Boycotting palm oil and timber products linked to deforestation.

• Encouraging reforestation projects in degraded areas to restore lost habitat.

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Gliding Mammals of the world

Lee, B. 2016. Iomys sipora (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T10846A115099877. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T10846A22249119.en. Downloaded on 04 February 2021.

Ruedas, L., Duckworth, J. W., Lee, B., & Tizard, R. J. (2008). Iomys sipora. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8317177/.

Wikipedia. (2024). Mentawi Flying Squirrel. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentawi_flying_squirrel.

Mentawi Flying Squirrel Iomys sipora

Caption: This beautiful painting is by My YM

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

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3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

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#Agriculture #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #glidingMammal #Indonesia #Mammal #Mentawi #MentawiFlyingSquirrelIomysSipora #palmoil #rainforest #rodent #rodents #Sipura #SouthEastAsia #Squirrel #Sumatra

Palm Oil Detectives Feb 6, 2021

Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock tianxing

Location: Eastern Myanmar and southwestern China, particularly the Gaoligong Mountains

IUCN Status: Endangered

High in the treetops of Myanmar and China’s remote montane forests, the Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon swings effortlessly through the canopy, moving with near-weightless grace. These rare, tree-dwelling primates were only officially described in 2017, making them one of the most recently discovered gibbon species. With fewer than 150 individuals confirmed in the wild, they are now among the world’s most endangered gibbons, clinging to existence in increasingly fragmented forests.

Despite their elusive nature, their presence is unmistakable—their piercing songs echo at dawn, carrying for over a kilometre through the jungle. But in many places, these songs have fallen silent, drowned out by the sounds of logging, mining, and hunting. Their delicate grip on survival is under immense pressure from habitat destruction, poaching, and the relentless expansion of agriculture. Help them by campaigning for their survival #Boycott4Wildlife.

https://youtu.be/HRn4fTaJgiU

High in #China 🇨🇳 and #Myanmar’s 🇲🇲 trees live melodic long-limbed bards of the jungle. Skywalker Hoolock #Gibbons 🙉🐵🐒 got their name from #StarWars 🛸🌌 but Skywalker also translates to ‘Heaven’s Movement’ in Chinese. Help them and #Boycott4Wildlife https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/06/skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-hoolock-tianxing/

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Just a few dozen beautiful and elegant Skywalker #Gibbons 🐵🐒remain alive in the vulnerable forests of #Myanmar 🇲🇲and southern #China 🇨🇳 Threats include cardamom #deforestation 🥜🔥 #poaching and #climatechange. Help them survive #Boycott4Wildlife https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/06/skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-hoolock-tianxing/

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Appearance and Behaviour

Skywalker Hoolock Gibbons are strikingly beautiful primates, with graceful, elongated limbs and expressive, intelligent eyes. Their fur varies from black to dark brown, with a large beard that can be either black or brown, unlike their closest relatives, the Eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys), which have white beards. One of their most distinctive features is their white eyebrows, which are thinner and more widely spaced than those of other hoolock gibbons.

Males and females are sexually dimorphic. Males have dark brown fur with a slight brownish overlay, while females are yellowish or reddish-blonde, with incomplete white facial rings. Younger gibbons lack the white fur under their eyes and chin, making them easier to distinguish.

These gibbons are arboreal specialists, spending their entire lives in the trees. They travel through the forest canopy using brachiation, swinging between branches with their long arms at breathtaking speed. On the ground, they are awkward and vulnerable, avoiding descent unless absolutely necessary.

Skywalker hoolock gibbons are highly social and monogamous, forming lifelong pairs. Their strong bonds are reinforced through duet calls—long, melodious songs that mated pairs perform together at dawn. These calls serve as territorial markers and as a way to maintain their connection. However, in some areas, researchers have observed gibbons going silent for weeks after hearing gunfire, an eerie reminder of the threats they face.

Geographic Range

Skywalker Hoolock Gibbons are found in the dense montane forests of eastern Myanmar and southwestern China, particularly in the Gaoligong Mountains. Initially, scientists believed their population was limited to small, fragmented groups in China. However, a groundbreaking study in 2024 confirmed that Myanmar is home to the largest known population of these elusive primates.

Using a combination of acoustic monitoring and DNA analysis, researchers were able to identify 44 previously unknown Skywalker gibbon groups in Myanmar. This discovery significantly expands their known range and offers new hope for their conservation.

Despite this positive news, over 90% of their range remains unprotected, leaving them highly vulnerable to habitat destruction. In Myanmar, their forest home is shrinking due to illegal logging, mining, and agricultural expansion, forcing them into smaller and more isolated populations.

Diet

Skywalker Hoolock Gibbons are primarily frugivorous, meaning that fruit makes up the majority of their diet (around 49%). However, when fruit is scarce, they also consume leaves, buds, flowers, and even small invertebrates or bird chicks. Their diet shifts with the seasons, with ripe fruit being the most sought-after food source.

They play a crucial role in their ecosystem as seed dispersers, ensuring the health and regeneration of the forests they inhabit. Without them, the delicate balance of their habitat would begin to unravel.

Reproduction and Mating

Mating among Skywalker hoolock gibbons is a complex social ritual. Females initiate courtship, presenting themselves to males, who respond by approaching them in an elaborate display of mutual trust. Once bonded, these pairs remain together for life, raising one offspring at a time.

The gestation period lasts around 7 months, after which a single helpless, pink-skinned infant is born. The mother provides constant care and protection, carrying the baby clinging to her fur for the first several months of life. Juveniles remain dependent on their parents for up to 8 years before reaching sexual maturity.

Due to their slow reproductive rate, any decline in population is devastating. If adult gibbons are killed, the loss is felt for generations, pushing their already fragile numbers closer to extinction.

Threats

Skywalker Hoolock Gibbons face a critical battle for survival, with their population declining due to multiple human-driven threats.

In Myanmar, the Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon remains threatened by habitat loss due largely to slash-and-burn agriculture, gold mining and logging, and secondarily by hunting for food and medicinal purposes (Ni et al. 2018). Unfortunately, the species is not known to occur in any protected areas in this country.

IUCN Red List

Habitat Destruction and Deforestation

• Myanmar and China’s forests are rapidly disappearing due to commercial logging, mining, and slash-and-burn agriculture.

• Over 90% of their range remains unprotected, making them highly vulnerable to deforestation.

• In Myanmar, forest loss has accelerated since 2000, with up to 9% of their habitat disappearing in key areas.

As trees fall, gibbons lose their homes, their food sources, and their ability to move safely through the forest canopy.

Agricultural Expansion and Cardamom Plantations

• Large swathes of forest are being cleared for cardamom plantations, particularly in China.

• While some gibbons have adapted to agroforestry environments, heavy fragmentation of these habitats isolates populations, preventing gene flow and increasing the risk of inbreeding.

Hunting and the Illegal Wildlife Trade

• In Myanmar, hoolock gibbons are hunted for food and traditional Chinese medicine, with the false belief that consuming their brains can cure epilepsy.

• They are poached for the illegal pet trade, with babies being torn from their mothers, who are often killed in the process.

• Even when not actively hunted, gibbons are often shot by miners and loggers as they are seen as “noisy disturbances.”

Climate Change and Habitat Fragmentation

• Warming temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns due to climate change are altering the availability of food sources, forcing gibbons into competition with one another.

• Fragmentation of forests forces gibbons to travel across open ground, making them highly vulnerable to predators and human threats.

FAQS

How many Skywalker hoolock gibbons are left?

Fewer than 150 individuals have been confirmed in the wild. However, new research suggests their numbers may be slightly higher in Myanmar, though they remain endangered.

Where do Skywalker hoolock gibbons live?

They are found in eastern Myanmar and southwestern China, particularly in the Gaoligong Mountains and areas between the Salween and Irrawaddy Rivers.

What do Skywalker hoolock gibbons eat?

Their diet is primarily fruit, but they also consume leaves, buds, flowers, insects, and bird chicks when plant sources are limited.

How do Skywalker hoolock gibbons communicate?

They perform loud, melodic duet songs at dawn, which serve to mark territory and strengthen bonds between mated pairs.

Why are they called ‘Skywalker’ hoolock gibbons?

They were named by researchers who are Star Wars fans, inspired by their graceful movement through the treetops and the Chinese translation of their name, which means ‘heaven’s movement’.

Are Skywalker hoolock gibbons endangered?

Yes, they are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Their population is small and highly fragmented, with habitat loss being the greatest threat to their survival.

Can Skywalker hoolock gibbons be kept as pets?

No. Keeping a gibbon as a pet is illegal, immoral and cruel. Many gibbons in the pet trade are illegally captured from the wild, often involving the killing of their family members.

Take Action

Skywalker Hoolock Gibbons are on the brink of extinction, but you can help ensure their survival. The biggest threats to these rare primates come from deforestation, illegal hunting, and the expansion of agriculture such as cardamom plantations. Protecting them means taking action against habitat destruction and the wildlife trade.

• Boycott palm oil, cardamom, and other crops linked to deforestation. The destruction of their habitat is directly linked to agriculture and logging. Every time you shop, choose products that are 100% palm oil-free to avoid contributing to deforestation and biodiversity loss.

• Support Indigenous-led conservation efforts. More than 90% of their habitat is unprotected. Local indigenous communities play a crucial role in protecting their forests from destruction. Donate to or amplify the work of organisations that empower Indigenous and local communities to safeguard forests.

• Demand stronger wildlife protection laws. Gibbons are hunted for food and traditional medicine, and the illegal pet trade remains a major threat. Contact policymakers and demand harsher penalties for those who exploit endangered species.

• Spread awareness. Many people have never heard of the Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon or the threats they face. Share their story on social media using #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan and encourage others to take action.

Without urgent intervention, these rare gibbons could be lost forever. Every action counts—speak up, make ethical choices, and help protect their rainforest home before it’s too late.

Further Information

Cowan, C. (2024). Skywalker gibbons confirmed in Myanmar for the first time. Mongabay. https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/skywalker-gibbons-confirmed-in-myanmar-for-the-first-time/

Fan, P.F., Turvey, S.T. & Bryant, J.V. 2020. Hoolock tianxing (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T118355648A166597159. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T118355648A166597159.en. Downloaded on 06 February 2021.

Wikipedia Contributors. (n.d.). Skywalker hoolock gibbon. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skywalker_hoolock_gibbon

How to easily identify gibbons by Noah RNS Shepherd

How to easily identify gibbons by Noah RNS Shepherd

Support the conservation of this species

Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock tianxing

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

✓ Subscribed

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Pledge your support

#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #China #ChineseMedicine #climatechange #deforestation #EasternHoolockGibbonHoolockLeuconedys #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #Gibbon #Gibbons #hunting #illegalPetTrade #Mammal #Mentawi #Myanmar #palmoil #poaching #Primate #SkywalkerHoolockGibbonHoolockTianxing #StarWars #vegan #WesternHoolockGibbonHoolockHoolock