Squirrels are attractive animals, belonging to the Sciuridae family, which is so large that scientists have divided it into sub-families. In Greek the family name means “shade tail.” Our common tree squirrels belong to the Sciuridae; the flying squirrels are classified as Petauristidae, a sub-family. Among its members are the common flying squirrel of North America and the rare Eoglaucomys, the Himalayan flying squirrels, which inhabit the mountains of Tibet.
All flying squirrels resemble each other sufficiently so that what is said about any one of them applies in general to all. Those of the United States and Canada are active at night. They collect nuts, fruits and grain, and store them in abandoned woodpecker holes. These are the graceful Glaucomys sabririus, with their big bright eyes. They are very hard to observe in their native habitat because they sleep during the day.
It is really not a misnomer to describe these squirrels as “flying”: their leaps of up to one hundred feet from tree to tree are not leaps but glides. They are made possible by the thin hairy membrane that extends the length of each side of their body, between the front and hind legs. During the squirrel’s glide this membrane acts like a parachute. With this equipment, the flying squirrel can glide from one tree to another. Its beautiful long tail, with long, silky hair, is used as a rudder in the squirrel’s gliding flight. According to some observers, the tail is used for steering; according to others it is used to regulate the squirrel’s speed.
The flying squirrel of the Malacca Peninsula is also found in South China and Thailand; its local name is taguan. The taguan is highly valued for its meat, and the natives spread nets between the trees at sundown to catch it. It is easily tamed and does well in captivity.
Another flying squirrel, Petaurillus hosei, is tiny—eight inches in all, including body and tail—with an elegant white tuft at the end of its tail. This little squirrel lives in the trees of forests in Borneo and is active at night. It is trapped by men, not for its meat, but for its beautiful fur.
The “flying squirrels” of Australia are not really squirrels but phalangers. Like most of the other native animals of this continent, they are marsupials. The flying phalangers also glide rather than fly.
Flying Squirrels Pictures
