Aerial acrobats of the forest: Enjoyable info about flying squirrels – Harwich Conservation Trust

If a peculiar set of circumstances reworked you right into a rodent, wouldn’t you hope to awake as a flying squirrel? The superb gliding ability would set you other than the remainder of the pack. Chipmunks, mice and shrews would marvel at your aerial acrobatics and maybe toss alternative acorns into your tip jar.

Life could be good, though you would need to keep away from disagreeable interludes with owls, fishers, cats and different animals that may view you as a scrumptious tidbit.

While morphing right into a squirrel is unlikely, your folks at Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) nonetheless thought it is likely to be enjoyable to place collectively some info about these daring pilots and see what they’re as much as, method up within the timber. Here we go!

Two sorts of flying squirrels

Southern flying squirrels are frequent in Massachusetts and on Cape Cod, however as a result of their nocturnal habits it may be tough to get have a look at one. They are usually about eight to 10 inches lengthy, clad in comfortable grey fur with white bellies.

Although they’ll forage on the bottom, noshing on nuts and seeds, most of their time is spent in timber. As late summer season rolls in, flying squirrels will start to retailer meals in and round timber to get them by way of the winter.

Northern flying squirrels are a bit bigger than their southern cousins, and are listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Massachusetts. According to the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, “Northern flying squirrels may still occur in northern portions of Massachusetts but have not been confirmed in over 60 years.”

Reasons for northern flying squirrels’ decline might embrace the lack of mature forest habitat and publicity to a parasite that’s usually carried by the rising variety of southern flying squirrels. This parasite isn’t dangerous to southern squirrels, however might be deadly to the northern ones.

Do flying squirrels actually fly?

Despite their identify, flying squirrels don’t really fly, however they certain can glide. The key to this capacity is a membrane –a flappy piece of pores and skin known as a patagium — that extends from the wrists of their entrance toes to the ankles of their hind toes. This passage from the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry actually tells the story of how flying squirrels take to the air:

“Before gliding, a flying squirrel bobs and rotates the head, perhaps to gauge the route, and then leaps from a high perch, the feet extended to stretch the membranes. The airborne rodent sails forward and downward, twisting and turning to avoid branches, the changes in direction aided by a tail which serves as a rudder. Just as it nears the destination, the flying squirrel gives an upward jerk of the tail to land, head upward. Fleshy pads on the feet cushion the shock of impact, and sharp claws clasp the bark.”

These skydiving squirrels “have been recorded gliding over 150 feet from a height of 60 feet,” based on Mass Audubon. It is assumed that flying squirrels have advanced with this capacity to assist keep away from predators and improve their capacity to cowl extra foraging territory.

An HCT flying squirrel rescue

In August 2024, Naturalist and HCT stroll chief Andrea Higgins found two child flying squirrels in a nest that had fallen out of a tree at Sand Pond Woodlands.  She introduced the 2 infants to Wild Care in Eastham, a wildlife rehabilitation middle that helps sick, injured and orphaned mammals, birds, and different animals, with the aim of eventual launch again into their native habitats.

When the flying squirrels arrived, they every weighed below 10 grams (in regards to the weight of a pencil). They have been fairly younger and nonetheless nursing, which initially required 8 feedings per day with in a single day care. Wild Care’s employees of licensed wildlife rehabilitators have been capable of nurture the 2 infants till they have been able to be launched in December, again dwelling at Sand Pond Woodlands. Higgins was a part of the crew that secured the squirrels’ nest field excessive in a tree close to the place they have been discovered.

Keep your eyes peeled for flying squirrels and different great wildlife whenever you’re exploring a fantastic HCT path. You might not find yourself rescuing infants or seeing furry daredevils soar from tree to tree, however you’re sure to be enchanted by the enriching pure environment that present thrills every day.

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