Share
Forest personnel hold what is said to be a flying squirrel ‘donated’ to be set free in Kanglatu Biodiversity Reserve in Changtongya in Mokokchung district on December 3.[/caption]
EMN
Dimapur, December 22
They are small, fluffy and furry, and definitely cute–and they fly. Or, more precisely, glide. That’s the wrongly-named Flying Squirrel for you. One of these adorable creatures has found a home, in its full natural habitat, after a citizen decided to hand the poor thing over to forest authorities of Mokokchung district earlier this week.
According to a note that was received here on Tuesday, December 22, the small mammal was said to have been ‘donated’ by L Thomson, an official of the SIB of Mokokchung district. The animal was donated to be set free in Kanglatu Biodiversity Reserve in Changtongya in Mokokchung, the note said.
Kanglatu Biodiversity Reserve area is 700 hectares and approximately 7 kilometers away from Changtongya village. The whole area is rich in flora and fauna and an ideal place for biodiversity conservation. This area is being kept reserved since 2008 by the Changtongya villagers.As exciting as their names are, Flying squirrels are not capable of flight like birds or bats. Instead, they glide between trees. They are capable of obtaining lift within the course of these flights, with flights recorded to about 90 meters (295 ft). The direction and speed of the animal in midair are varied by changing the positions of its limbs, largely controlled by small cartilaginous wrist bones.
Facts you might not know about these cuties
• Males and females look alike. Fur on their backs and sides is brown to grey, and white on the belly. Tail is flattened and large.
• The squirrel uses its tail as a rudder when gliding through the air.
• Flying squirrels can make 180 degree turns during gliding. Longest recorded “flight” was 300 feet, but they normally travel much shorter distances than that. They usually glide between 20 and 30 feet.
• Flying squirrels use their thick paws as cushion for landing. When they land on the tree, they climb as high as possible to prepare themselves for another jump.
• Flying squirrels are nocturnal (active at night) creatures. Large, bulging eyes help them see in the dark.
• Flying squirrels are omnivores (eat both meat and vegetation). They like to eat different kind of food: slugs, snails, mice, eggs, small birds, mushroom, berries, seed, nuts, tree bark, flowers etc
• Unlike other squirrels, flying squirrels form a single hole in the nut shell to reach the meat inside it. Other squirrels break the whole shell to release the hidden meat.
• Flying squirrels do not hibernate, but they slow down their activity during winter. Since the food sources are scarce at that time of the year, they survive mostly by eating food collected during the previous year. Flying squirrels can collect up 15 000 nuts per one season.
• Main predators of flying squirrels are raccoons, coyotes, owls, foxes, snakes, birds, cats and dogs.
• Flying squirrels are highly social animals. They live in the holes in the trees, such as those made by woodpecker. A large group of squirrels can share a single hole. Squirrels conserve their energy through life in community.
• Flying squirrels may share their dens with other animals such as bats and screech owls.
• Mating occurs early in the spring and sometimes late in the summer. Flying squirrels usually produce one litter per year. Gestation period (pregnancy) lasts 40 days and female gives birth of 2 to 7 babies.
• Average lifespan of the flying squirrel in the wild is between 4 and 5 years and between 10 and 15 years in the captivity.