Improve Your Woodlot for Wildlife

摘要

Because of their nocturnal habits, few people are fortunate enough to have seen a flying squirrel in the wild, and many are unaware that these nighttime creatures exist. Emerging at dusk, they glide from the forest canopy down to the forest floor to feed. Although they don't truly fly (bats are the only mammals that do), they have two large flaps of skin that extend from their wrists to their ankles and act as miniature parachutes. When leaving a tree, they initially drop straight down for about 3 feet or so before flattening out into a glide. Like a miniature hang glider, a flying squirrel can move its legs to change the position of its membranes and swerve around obstacles. The higher a squirrel is when it drops out of a tree, the greater the speed and distance it can travel. From heights of 100 feet, they can reach speeds of up to 20 mph, and glide as far as 50 yards (over half the length of a football field).