The red and white giant flying squirrel (Petaurista alborufus) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae.

It is a very large, dark rufous-red, buff and white flying squirrel found in forests at altitudes of 800–3,500 m (2,600–11,500 ft) in mainland China and 1,200–3,750 m (3,940–12,300 ft) in Taiwan, although the population of the latter island is distinctive and likely better regarded as a separate species, the Taiwan giant flying squirrel (P.

As traditionally defined, the Chinese mainland is inhabited by P. a. alborufus (Gansu, Shaanxi and west Sichuan), P. a. castaneus (Chongqing, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, eastern Sichuan, Shaanxi and Yunnan), P. a. leucocephalus (Xizang) and P. a. ochraspis (Guangxi and Yunnan), and Taiwan has P. a.

[10] One red and white giant flying squirrel weighed 4,290 g (9.46 lb), by far the highest reported for any gliding mammal,[11] but whether this is normal for the mainland population is unclear.

[10] In the Chinese mainland, red and white giant flying squirrels have dark rufous-red upperparts with a large buff or straw-coloured patch on the lower back.

Before taking off, flying squirrels bob and rotate their heads to gauge the route, and then leap into the air, spreading their patagia between cartilaginous spurs on their wrists and ankles.

As their destination nears, they pull upright, prepare their padded feet to cushion the shock of impact, and ready their sharp claws to grip the bark.

By keeping nocturnal habits, flying squirrels avoid predation by more skilled fliers, such as hawks and eagles.

Among mammals, there are the marsupial gliding possums of Australia, the colugos of SE Asia, and the scaly-tailed flying squirrels of Africa.

This species has a wide distribution and a presumed large population, it occurs in many protected areas, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".