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Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae.Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they are able to glide from one tree to another with the aid of a patagium, a furred skin membrane that stretches from wrist to ankle.
The northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) is one of three species of the genus Glaucomys, the only flying squirrels found in North America. [2] [3] They are found in coniferous and mixed coniferous forests across much of Canada, from Alaska to Nova Scotia, and south to the mountains of North Carolina and west to Utah in the United States.
Flying squirrel in flight. Southern flying squirrels have grey-brown fur on top with darker flanks and are a cream colored underneath. They have large dark eyes and flattened tails. They have a furry membrane called a patagium that extends from the front to the rear legs and is used to glide through the air. Total length (including tail) is 21 ...
A few other mammals can glide or parachute; the best known are flying squirrels and flying lemurs. Flying squirrels (subfamily Petauristinae). There are more than 40 living species divided between 14 genera of flying squirrel. Flying squirrels are found in Asia (most species), North America (genus Glaucomys) and Europe (Siberian flying squirrel).
A distinctive feature of flying squirrels is the furry glide membrane or patagium, a flap of skin that stretches between the front and rear legs. By spreading this membrane the flying squirrel may glide from tree to tree across distances of over a hundred meters, and have been known to record a glide ratio of 3.31, but is normally 1-1.5. [4]
The red giant flying squirrel or common giant flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae (squirrels). It is found in a wide variety of forest–types, plantations and more open habitats with scattered trees in Southeast Asia, ranging north to the Himalayas and southern and central China.
The western woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus) is a species of very large flying squirrel in the genus Eupetaurus. It is native to northern Pakistan and northwestern India . It was long considered the only species in the genus until the description of two other species in 2021. [ 2 ]
The Chinese giant flying squirrel (Petaurista xanthotis) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to China. It inhabits high-elevation spruce forests in China and feeds nocturnally on young shoots, leaves, and pine nuts. It nests in trees but does not hibernate. Its litter size averages two. [2]