10:29 p.m. - 2005-12-23
Flying squirrels!
Merry Christmas, Critter Lovers!
Greetings from sunny, warm Minneapolis. I think we cherish winter days when the snow melts and the air almost feels warm; it reminds us that in a few months things will thaw out.
Last night I dreamt there were schools of flying fish gliding high overhead, like flocks of geese! They were blue in color and very large. It was cool.
Speaking of gliding reminds me of this week's Creature Feature: The flying squirrel!
This topic was requested by my lil' sister K's boyfriend, CE. CE is a handsome young man and avid outdoorsman. I spent time with them, my parentals and my other sisters this weekend in WI. My Mom and I also tried on 100 wedding dresses! Fun. I also checked out the WI abode of the sooper genius KZ and her delightful son IZ and hubby MZ. R and I are returning to the Motherland in a few days, and perhaps will take pictures of deer antlers, jaw bones, skinned muskrat corpses and the like. Also we will be reunited with GH, on her winter hiatus from Shanghai!
Flying squirrels are CUTE! We needs it, we must have the precious! Here is a picture from borealforest.org:
These squirrels are members of the Family Sciuridae, which includes 225 species. (Chipmunks, marmots and prairie dogs are related but in a different family.) The subfamily Petauristinae includes all of the flying squirrels, totaling 35 species. Gliders are found throughout Asia and Europe, with the largest species being the rare woolly flying squirrel, located in Kashmir, Pakistan.
Fun fact: Flying squirrels are also called "fairy diddles"? What?
There are two main species of flying squirrels in North America, the northern, Glaucomys sabrinas, and the southern, Glaucomys volans. The northern species is slightly larger and prefers old growth coniferous forests. The southern species enjoys deciduous trees. Both squirrels have a similar cinnamon brown body with a white belly. The G. sabrinas mostly populates Canada and the northern and mountainous areas of the U.S.; G. volans lives east of the Mississippi, in Mexico and in far southern Canada.
Flying squirrels are about eight to ten inches long, including the tail. They are the only nocturnal squirrel in our hemisphere. You'll notice glider eyes are large to absorb all possible light in the night!
The "wings" of a flying squirrel are called the patagia. The squirrel uses these to slow and direct their glide, as they don't truly fly. The animal's long, flat tail acts as a rudder. Sensitive vibrissae (the scientific word for whiskers!) help the squirrels find their way. The higher the tree, the farther the flying squirrel can glide; usually from 20 to 60 feet. A squirrel descends one foot for every three feet it glides.
(I wish one would glide onto my shoulder and I would pet it and love it forever!)
Anyway, flying squirrels are hard to see. At night, you can spot them flying by looking for their white bellies traveling between trees. Also sneaking up on a birdfeeder with a flashlight can yield flying squirrel sightings! My sister L's boyfriend JK thought he saw one in my family's backyard this Fourth of July!
During the day, you can observe glider nests, and also look for mysterious piles of nut shells.
Along with nuts, flying squirrels enjoy leaf buds, berries, seeds, insects, bird eggs and even baby mice! Gliders are important to the forest ecosystem as they are often drawn to underground fungi. These help the tree roots grow, and the squirrels then pass the spores throughout the forest in their scat.
Flying squirrels build nests in dead trees, often out of abandoned woodpecker holes. They will also make nests of leaves and branches and will readily use human-built nesting boxes! It seems the details of glider courtship aren't fully known. In the northern vectors, flying squirrels mate in late winter, producing two to six "pups" in March. Another brood will be born in the summer as well. The pups are hairless and blind, and the mama squirrel feeds them for five weeks, which is a long time in the rodent world. After being weaned, the fuzzy babies explore the tree and start making practice leaps! Can you imagine the cuteness? Unfortunately the young gliders are often eaten by predators during their first year.
Flying squirrels are prey to owls, hawks, martens, weasels and prowling housecats. In one night a cat can eat an entire glider family! If your cat roams outdoors, please put a bell on it.
Young squirrels live with their mothers for their first year. In the winter, six to ten flying squirrels will nest together, which scientists believe lowers the mortality rate.
In the wild, gliders usually live four years or less, but can live up to 15 years in captivity. Apparently if raised by hand, flying squirrels make excellent pets, and providing them with calcium prevents the rickets that most often kills them in the wild. (Other than predators.)
In conclusion, here's another cute picture from globalforestscience.org:
I look forward to hearing about your holiday travels and any critters you might have seen!
Love,
Wendell
