Like the southern flying squirrel, we’re not that good, but we’re good enough. Our upright gait frees our hands to do clever stuff: we pay the price in back pain, the most frequent complaint recorded in the NHS. We humans are also makeshift constructions put together from spare parts. Southern Flying Squirrels ply their trade in the darkness of the forest night with the help of their jury-rigged wings – and it works. It’s not about perfection, it’s about survival. Good enough to allow them to make a living.Īnd that’s evolution for you. The gliding membrane – the patagium – of a flying squirrel is a kind of Heath Robinson device, cobbled together from the parts available, and if it’s not exactly good, it’s good enough. A BASE-jumping human in a wing-suit can get as much as 1:3 a flying squirrel is below 1:2. Glide ratio is the amount of ground travelled for the amount of height lost: a wandering albatross glides in still air at 1:22, or 22 yards further on for every yard dropped. Then, just as you’ve breathed a sigh of relief, they’re crazy enough to try the whole thing all over again. Against every piece of good advice you send them from the ground, they launch themselves across the clearing, wobbling violently, eventually making what looks like an extremely lucky landing on a tree. Their world is night-time forest, and at dusk you can see them setting out on the night’s work, making precarious glides from tree to tree: as comic a sight as you will ever see.Įach flight looks utterly reckless. Southern Flying Squirrels are one of around 50 species of flying squirrels that live mostly in the Americas and Asia.Īnd none of them is what you might call a great flier. They live in Canada and the United States down into Mexico, including the Sierra Gorda, where World Land Trust supports a project safeguarding an area of cloud forest. And the truth is they’re not all that crash-hot at gliding. Well, they can’t fly at all, in the sense of powered flight, so they’re really southern gliding squirrels. ![]() The thing about Southern Flying Squirrels is that they’re no good at flying. If you are having an issue with southern flying squirrels, it is best to consult a professional wildlife control company for removal.Simon Barnes assesses the flying capabilities of Sierra Gorda‘s flying squirrel in his latest post in his blog series, Barnes’s Bestiary. Since flying squirrels are quite social and nocturnal, homeowners with a flying squirrel infestation often hear them scurrying around in the attic after midnight. Once inside a home or structure, they can gnaw on electrical wiring, possibly causing an electrical short or fire. However, they can do considerable damage to the exterior of homes as they try to create new entryways to access attics and interior wall voids. Southern flying squirrels have been implicated in the spread of human diseases, although direct transmission to humans is rare. Southern Flying Squirrel Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers In addition to nesting in high places like attics, flying squirrels can also be found in external walls and between floors, using insulation as nesting material. Flying squirrels are known to enter homes in late fall when temperatures begin to drop. ![]() They are rarely found in suburban neighborhoods unless there are heavily wooded areas in the vicinity. The southern flying squirrel will often nest in natural cavities and woodpecker holes. Southern flying squirrels are most often found in large hickory and beech trees, as well as maple, poplar, and oak trees. They can cause odor and damage with their urine, and keep people awake with their nocturnal activity. Southern flying squirrels become pests when they take up residence in a homeowner’s attic or walls. Between their front and rear legs, flying squirrels have a furry membrane called a patagium that enables them to glide through the air, often from one tree to another. Southern flying squirrels are known for their ability to glide and are found in deciduous and wooded areas in North America. Southern Flying Squirrels in Central Florida
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