Woolly flying squirrel, thought to be extinct, spotted in Gangotri National Park

Guwahati: In a significant development, a woolly flying squirrel that was presumed to be extinct some seventy years back, was spotted at Gangotri National Park in Uttrakhand's Uttarkashi, as informed by Forest Research Institute, on Monday.

Forest Research Institute stated that the Woolly flying squirrel was considered extinct 70 years ago in the IUCN Red List.

It has been reported that the mammal had not been spotted in the wild since 1924 and was thought to be extinct.

Meanwhile, the scientists of Wildlife Institute of India situated in Dehradun have talked about the presence of this squirrel in the Bhagirath valley, and rare photographs of the mammal have also created a buzz on social media.

"Woolly flying squirrel uses its furry claws as a parachute to fly," the institute told media.

Notably, the Woolly Flying Squirrel is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

It is to be mentioned that the squirrel, also known as Eupetaurus cinereus, was last spotted in 1994 in Pakistan by Peter Zahler, a freelance editor and writer, and Chantal Dietemann, a community college math teacher, according to a New York Times article published in 1995.

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