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Flying squirrel
May. 18th, 2011 04:09 pmI'm at the farm for a week, and one of my first nature encounters was a flying squirrel.
This little animal showed up near the back door; we assume the farm cat killed it and brought it to us, but it's a little odd that she didn't eat it. She usually consumes most of her kills, but this squirrel was completely intact. That's a bit of a mystery and a bit sad, and also I was careful to wash well when I was forced to touch the squirrel, because I've read that they can be carriers of typhus.
Like many amateur wildlife enthusiasts, the only opportunity I have to closely observe some animals is when I come across a dead one. I'd prefer to spot them live, but curiosity demands I take any opportunity. So. It's a gorgeous creature. Soft, short fur, white underneath and grey-brown on top, with a darker stripe down the sides. The sides are actually the edges of the skin flap between the front and hind legs, the membrane they open and use to glide from tree to tree. The face is short, the eyes large, and the ears a little larger than I expected, round and slightly wrinkled. The feet are very delicate and the tail is medium length and looks flattened, which I'm sure helps with gliding. The teeth are tiny, long in front and yellow.
These flying squirrels are nocturnal, which I'm sure is why I've never seen one in all my years living here. They are omnivores, and apparently the Northern variety, at least, even has quite a taste for truffles and will come out of the trees to dig in the forest floor for fungi.
Southern Flying Squirrels by Gustav Mutzel, public domain image via Wikimedia Commons
Now to someday see a live one in the wild...
This little animal showed up near the back door; we assume the farm cat killed it and brought it to us, but it's a little odd that she didn't eat it. She usually consumes most of her kills, but this squirrel was completely intact. That's a bit of a mystery and a bit sad, and also I was careful to wash well when I was forced to touch the squirrel, because I've read that they can be carriers of typhus.
Like many amateur wildlife enthusiasts, the only opportunity I have to closely observe some animals is when I come across a dead one. I'd prefer to spot them live, but curiosity demands I take any opportunity. So. It's a gorgeous creature. Soft, short fur, white underneath and grey-brown on top, with a darker stripe down the sides. The sides are actually the edges of the skin flap between the front and hind legs, the membrane they open and use to glide from tree to tree. The face is short, the eyes large, and the ears a little larger than I expected, round and slightly wrinkled. The feet are very delicate and the tail is medium length and looks flattened, which I'm sure helps with gliding. The teeth are tiny, long in front and yellow.
These flying squirrels are nocturnal, which I'm sure is why I've never seen one in all my years living here. They are omnivores, and apparently the Northern variety, at least, even has quite a taste for truffles and will come out of the trees to dig in the forest floor for fungi.
Southern Flying Squirrels by Gustav Mutzel, public domain image via Wikimedia Commons
Now to someday see a live one in the wild...
