The common flying squirrel, or flying squirrel, is a small rodent. It belongs to the squirrel family. By the way, this is the only animal from the flying squirrel subfamily that lives in Russia. The flying squirrel got its name due to its amazing ability to plan from one tree to another. Now let's talk in more detail about this animal, its habits. The reader will learn who the flying squirrel is.
Description of the representative of the fauna
The flying squirrel is a medium-sized animal with an average body length of 170 mm. The tail of such an animal is quite large compared to the body. On average, its length is 120 mm. Now consider the ears and feet of the animal. The length of the foot is about 35 mm, and the ear is 18 mm. The average weight of such an animal is 125 grams. A hairy fold of skin (“flying membrane”), running along the sides of the body, connects the hind and forelimbs. She also plays the role of a parachute. In front, the crease is supported by a bone that extends from the wrist. The tail of the flying squirrel is long, covered with thick hair. The head of this animal is small, rounder than that of an ordinary squirrel. The ears are rounded, short, without tassels. The area around the eye is blackcolors.
Due to the fact that the animal is nocturnal, it has large and bulging eyes. The wool is soft, silky, thin. It becomes especially thick and lush in the winter season. The color of the animal is light gray with a yellowish tint. The tail is lighter than the body of the animal. The inner surface of the paws and the abdomen are a dull yellow-white color. As a rule, the squirrel has a shortened nasal part of the skull. The flying squirrel has relatively large drum chambers.
Because the flying squirrel climbs trees a lot, its limb bones are elongated, especially the forearms and lower legs.
Distribution
Common flying squirrel lives in taiga and mixed forests of Eurasia. You can meet her in Finland, Mongolia, China, Korea, Latvia and Estonia.
Common flying squirrel lives in hollows. He arranges his nests in trees at a height of four meters from the ground. Sometimes you can see the nests of this squirrel in the forest-steppe of Western Siberia.
What does a flying squirrel eat
The basis of the diet of this animal is the tops of shoots, pine nuts, buds of deciduous trees, coniferous seeds. In summer, the menu is a little more varied, various mushrooms and berries are added. Sometimes the animals gnaw at the thin young bark of aspen, maple, willow and birch. The flying squirrel especially likes birch and alder catkins. The animal even stores them for the winter, folding them into its hollow. There is an assumption that an ordinary flying squirrel can eat bird eggs and chicks. In general, the diet of this animal is completelydepends on where it lives. For example, in the northeastern parts of the range, the animal feeds only on larch buds in the winter season.
Features of animal behavior
The flying squirrel is active all year round. Her lifestyle is twilight, nocturnal. Lactating females, as well as young animals, appear in the daytime. As a rule, an ordinary flying squirrel spends most of its life on trees, occasionally descending to the ground. The activity of this protein sharply decreases in the cold season. Note that the animal does not hibernate, but when it is cold outside, it spends time in the nest, using the food reserves that it made during the warm season.
Social structure
In one nest, as a rule, two flying squirrels live. These animals are non-aggressive, social. The only one who can show aggression is a lactating female.
When does the animal reproduce? How many babies are in the offspring?
Not much is known about the reproduction of this animal. On average, a flying squirrel produces two offspring per year, each of which has three cubs. The duration of pregnancy in a female is about five weeks. The first brood appears in May, and the second - in early July.
Enemies
Unfortunately, the flying squirrel has enemies. These include sable, large owls and, of course, marten.
What is the benefit and harm to humans from this animal
Animal fur is of little value. Despite its softness and beauty, it has a fragile, thin core. This is what iscause difficulty in use. In captivity, the common flying squirrel takes root very poorly. All because she needs space to jump.
Important note about numbers
Due to the fact that the number of such an animal is declining everywhere, the common flying squirrel is officially recognized as an endangered species. The Red Book of Belarus has this animal in its lists. The flying squirrel belongs to the third category of protection. In 1993, the squirrel was included in the Red Book. In addition, the flying squirrel can be found in the lists of a number of the Red Data Books of Russia.
Interesting facts
- Did you know that a flying squirrel can travel up to fifty meters in a downward parabolic curve? To make the jump, the squirrel climbs to the top of the tree.
- During the flight, the flying squirrel forms a triangular silhouette. During this period, the hind limbs of the animal are pressed to the tail, and the front limbs are widely spaced. The flying squirrel maneuvers by changing the tension of the membranes. During the flight, it can change direction even by 90 degrees. The role of the brake, as a rule, is performed by the tail. Before landing, the common flying squirrel assumes a vertical position, clinging to a tree with four paws, then it runs across to the other side of the trunk. Thanks to this maneuver, she can dodge feathered predators.
- It is very difficult to notice this animal in the forest. Due to the patronizing coloring of the flying squirrel's fur, it can merge with the trunks of aspens (they are gray). On the ground, the animal rarely leaves traces, and even thenit is very difficult to understand whose they are, as they resemble squirrel ones.
- The flying squirrel can chirp. The voice of the animal in its habitats can be heard late at night.
Small conclusion
Now you know what a flying squirrel is, or an ordinary flying squirrel, as it is also called. As you can see, this is a very interesting animal with a delightful appearance. We hope that the information presented in the article helped you understand in detail what kind of animal it is, what features of reproduction and behavior it has.
