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Squirrels

Flying Squirrels



There are various types of flying squirrels, especially in tropical forests. However, those of the Americas are two species in the genus Glaucomys. Flying squirrels are nocturnal animals. They nest in cavities in trees, and are proficient at gliding from higher to lower parts of trees, using a wide flap of skin stretching between their legs as their aerodynamic "wings." These animals feed on a variety of seeds, nuts, and fruits, and insects, bird eggs, and fledglings when available. The southern flying squirrel (G. volans) occurs in a wide range of forest types throughout southeastern North America. The northern flying squirrel (G. sabrinus) occurs farther to the north, and ranges across North America.




Resources

Books

Banfield, A.W.F. The Mammals of Canada. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press, 1974.

Barash, D. Marmots Social Behavior and Ecology. Stanford CA: California University Press, 1989.

Hall, E.R. The Mammals of North America. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley & Sons, 1981.

Nowak, R. M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of the World. 5th ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.

Wilson, D.E., and D. Reeder. Mammal Species of the World. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993.


Bill Freedman

KEY TERMS

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Diurnal

—Refers to animals that are mainly active in the daylight hours.

Herbivore

—An animal that only eats plant foods.

Hibernation

—A deep, energy-conserving sleep that some mammals enter while passing the wintertime. In most species, hibernation is characterized by significantly slowed metabolic rates, and sometimes a fall in the core body temperature.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Spectroscopy to Stoma (pl. stomata)Squirrels - Tree Squirrels, Red Squirrels, Marmots, Prairie Dogs, Ground Squirrels, Antelope Ground Squirrels