About the Flying Squirrel: Appearance, biology, life cycle, habitat, diet, behavior

There are 43 species of flying squirrels, and they are classified in 14 genres. They are known to stay in deep holes within trees, so it will not be easy for them to know if it is day or night. The squirrels are typically completely nocturnal. The flying squirrels are normally medium sized rodents, and they can adapt to live an arboreal life. They do have slender bodies with busy tails and they are considered to be a leggy animal. The long tail makes them look bigger when they are flying. The flying squirrels are commonly found in the tropical forests in Southeast and South Asia. The flying squirrels have shown some range in their social system. The giant flying squirrels are well known to be monogamous and they always live in pairs. They are territorial rodents, but this behavior may not be found in the temperate species.

The flying squirrels feed on different plant and animal matter. They live in tropical regions and they are herbivorous most of the time, and there are a few that are known to eat fruits and young shoots. The squirrels that live in the temperate regions are likely to eat fungi, animal matter, seeds and fruits. The small tropical species are known to be carnivorous and they feed on small vertebrates, insects and spiders.

The flying squirrels do not have a well known breeding biology. The temperate species have a short summer breeding season while the tropical species breed during any season. Some species give birth to one or two babies. The infants of some species are small and blind at birth, while others can have babies who are not blind. They are able to eat solid food in as little as one day after they are born. The gestation period takes 40 days and the weaning takes eight weeks.

The flying squirrels now have a limited range since there is degradation and their habitat has been reduced. Some people also choose to hunt the large species in order to get food.

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