John Bair, age 11, of Rowayton, Connecticut, for his question:
How do flying squirrels fly?
In the animal world, honest to goodness flying calls for flappable wings. Most of the birds qualify with wings that are specially adapted fore limbs. Only one of the four legged mammals is a true flier. He is the bat. Squirrels and several other mammals are able to swoop through the air. But since they have no flappable wings, let's not expect them to fly around like the birds and the bats.
Actually, the so called flying squirrel is an expert parachutist. He measures about 12 inches long, plus a flat furry 4 inch tail. However, that weighs only a few ounces, for most of his bulk is soft featherweight fur chocolate brown on top land creamy, white below.
Along his sides, he has flaps of fur colored skin that extend down his legs to his wrists and ankles. When his four legs are spread out sideways, he becomes a furry, little carpet a flying carpet. This is just what happens when he takes to the air. He begins his flight by scampering up to his launching pad, which is at the top of a tall tree. Then out he leaps, with legs spread wide, nose in front and tail behind.
His light flat body acts like a parachute as down he glides, using, his tail as a rudder. His destination is at the base of another tall tree where he lands with a plonk. As a rule, he scampers straight up a to the top and parachutes down to another and perhaps another tree.
It's too bad that we seldom see him .perform. But the flying squirrel lives in the wild woods and spends the day fast asleep a ball of fur hidden in the tree tops.
After sundown he comes forth for food and fun. Soon he is joined by a group of friends and relatives. While searching for snacks, they often play follow the leader. One furry fellow launches himself from a treetop, followed by another and another. The leader lands at the base of another tree. As he scampers up the trunk, the following parachutists land plo l"plop, plop. ,
This merry game goes on and on through the woods usually until the frisky little acrobats come upon a source of supplies. As squirrels, they are members of the large rodent clan and their rodent type teeth need tough foods to gnaw. Flying squirrels eat certain buds, leaves and a few insects. But you can be sure that they forget all about their fascinating gliding games when they come upon a tree full of nice crunchy, chewable nuts.
Our own native flying squirrels are at home in the woods through much of North America, from the Southland to Alaska. Though not true fliers with genuine wings, they are true squirrels. As members of the squirrel family Sciuridae, their cousins include the bushy tailed tree squirrels and frisky little chipmunks, the sociable prairie dogs and the fat lazy woodchucks. Other flying squirrels are at home in Sweden and Siberia, China and Japan and a pigmy flying squirrel frolics through the jungles of Borneo.