The red and white giant flying squirrel lives in Badagongshan Nature Reserve in central China's Hunan Province. The place boasts the best-preserved primary forest and serves an excellent habitat for animals. 

Fruits, seeds, shoots, budding leaves and insects are their favorite food, and the reserve offers plenty of those. The red and white flying squirrel has a thin membrane on either side of its body, extending from its forelegs to the hind legs. This special anatomy allows them to parachute down from treetops.

The animal also has exceptionally large pupils that give it a wider field of vision to easily detect lurking predators. The red and white giant flying squirrel spends most of its life in forest.

Happy Year of the Rat!

In Chinese, both rats and mice are called shu. In fact, the Chinese word shu refers to almost all rodents, from squirrels and moles to chipmunks and chinchillas. 

Here are all seven kinds of shu from the rodent family to wish everybody a happy Chinese New Year.

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