![]() ![]() Most species seldom leave the trees, but North American flying squirrels ( Glaucomys) regularly descend to the ground to forage and bury nuts. Nests are made of leaves, shredded bark, mosses, or lichens. Some also build globular nests high in trees where branches join the trunk. They den in tree cavities, grottoes or rock crevices on cliffs, and cave ledges. Unlike other squirrels, flying squirrels are nocturnal. When seen in the tall trees of the tropical rainforest, the glides of these tiny rodents are easily mistaken for the flutter of large butterflies.Ĭuriosity may have killed the cat, but kinkajous, bluebacks, and mustelids are alive and well in these questions! They’re just some of the amazing animals featured in this fact or fiction quiz. The smallest are the dwarf flying squirrels ( Petaurillus) of northern Borneo and the Malay Peninsula their bodies are just 7 to 9 cm (about 2.8 to 3.5 inches) long and their tails 6 to 10 cm (about 2.4 to 4 inches). Some giant flying squirrels of tropical India and southeastern Asia weigh 1 to 2.5 kg (2.2 to 5.5 pounds) and have a body length of about 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 inches) and a tail 35 to 64 cm (about 14 to 25 inches) long. A considerable range of body size exists among the 15 genera. Their dense fur is soft and long and either silky or woolly in texture. A cartilaginous rod that extends from the wrist supports the front part of each membrane alongside the body.įlying squirrels are long-limbed and slender and have large eyes the long, bushy tail may be cylindrical or flattened. Ample loose skin and underlying muscle typically form a fur-covered membrane between each forelimb and hind limb some species have smaller membranes between the head and wrists and between the hind limbs and tail. Although these rodents do not fly, glides of up to 450 metres (almost 1,500 feet) have been recorded for Giant flying squirrels ( Petaurista). Three species are North American, two live in northern Eurasia, and all others are found in the temperate and tropical forests of India and other parts of Asia.
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