Squirrels that can "fly" (7 photos)

Many people are used to thinking that the flying squirrel is a rare inhabitant of dense forests somewhere over there, overseas. But this is not true! They can be found simply in the park! However, not everyone manages to see the rodent.





When there was no bag, and they poured cuteness right into your hands.

If you manage to do this, feel free to buy lottery tickets - you are definitely lucky! This rodent is one of the most secretive animals in our country.

The flying squirrel, or common flying squirrel, is not the red beauty that trustingly takes your nuts in the park. This is its introverted cousin. It hides itself from the world so carefully that even experienced foresters cannot find it. Secret: in the forest, there is a much greater chance of meeting a bear than this tiny flying shadow. But there live rodent ninjas!



It's convenient when your tail is also a blanket!

Why is it so difficult to find this charming animal? There are three reasons for this. Firstly, the flying squirrel is a tiny rodent. It is half the size of a regular squirrel: only 170 grams in weight and 35 centimeters from the nose to the tip of the fluffy tail. Plus, the thick and fluffy gray camouflage fur coat adds to the stealth. In its folds, not only the squirrel is hidden, but also the flight membrane. It opens only in the air.





Flying squirrel carpet.

Common flying squirrels are one of the few mammals that have mastered this element. Yes, they cannot actively flap their wings like bats, but their gliding flight is no worse. It is based on understanding the wind force, assessing the altitude, angles and distance to the target. The squirrel has no instruments or maps, but it has a built-in "navigator" - millions of years of evolution. It feels when the wind will help it fly longer, and when it will slow down and knock it off course. In the air, the flying squirrel can sharply turn 90° - this is much more difficult than just flying as it pleases! Thus, in one glide, the rodent covers up to 50 meters - a decent distance, considering its size!



I, in a way, am also a flying squirrel. I am always planning to fly somewhere. For example, on vacation.

And this is the second reason why it is difficult to find the animal. Squirrels have learned to fly, now they have no need to come down to the ground! Rodents spend their entire lives among dense branches. They look for food in the crowns: tree buds and bark, alder and birch catkins, mushrooms, berries, seeds. Sometimes they can snack on eggs or chicks - but this is more the exception than the rule. All summer and autumn they actively make supplies and caches, because winter is coming, and flying squirrels do not hibernate. They arrange a warm hollow, sit there on the coldest days, but they still have to go outside to eat.



Such big eyes are not needed to make us feel cute, but to help the rodent navigate in the dark.

But the main reason why you will never see a flying squirrel is the night. Darkness is a friend not only to the young, but also to the flying squirrel. The rodent makes all its movements exclusively in the twilight. This is how the animal protects itself from unnecessary attention from predators. And not without success: catching a flying squirrel is not an easy task even for a professional night hunter - owls, sables, martens.



By the way, people don't hunt flying squirrels. Their fur, although thicker than that of squirrels, is too soft and completely unsuitable for tanning.

So, the instructions for finding a flying squirrel are as follows. 1. Go out into a dense forest or park in pitch black night. 2. Look straight at the trees, raising your head. 3. Try to find a tiny gray silhouette in the mash of branches and greenery, which will flash for a couple of seconds and disappear. 4. Think of an excuse for the police in advance. You will look very strange from the outside! They are unlikely to believe you that you are looking for squirrels in a night park.



That very case when the squirrel did not come, but this is a reason for sadness, not joy!

Some people, in order not to suffer with the search, get a flying squirrel at home. But without the appropriate knowledge and conditions - this is not a good idea. Although the animals are very cute, their diet is complex, and their lifestyle is peculiar. Not only do rodents need a lot of space to fly, they will do all of them when you are sleeping! And, by the way, they are listed in the Red Book. So it is better to consider a hamster or a kitten as a pet.