Flying squirrels soar out of a tree at the University of Nebraska
A crew cutting down a dying oak at the University of Nebraska made a surprising find — flying squirrels.
A new video shows a squirrel climbing around a tree, jump off and extend its arms and legs to form a glider wing, helping it fly to a nearby tree.
A total of three flying squirrels were spotted in the dying tree on the university’s campus in the city of Lincoln, but what makes this so exciting is that no one knew the squirrels were there.
The only remaining Nebraska population of the nocturnal and tiny animals was 90 miles away in Nebraska’s southeast corner, near Indian Cave State Park, and the three in Lincoln have been living undetected.
A crew cutting down a dying oak at the University of Nebraska made a surprising find — flying squirrels
Brian Dieterman, assistant manager for the university’s landscape services, told : ‘We’re like, ‘What the heck is that?
‘We’re used to seeing squirrels in trees, but this didn’t look like a squirrel.’
The short video, which is just 20 seconds long, was sent to Larkin Powell, a professor of conservation biology at the University of Nebraska.
He watched the animal’s outstretched arms, winglike flaps stretched between front and hind paws, as it leapt from tree to tree.
A total of three flying squirrels were spotted in the dying tree on the university’s campus in the city of Lincoln, but what makes this so exciting is that no one knew the squirrels were there
‘It’s among the species that’s harder to document because they’re not out when people are around,’ Powell said.’And they’re little dudes.’
The National Wildlife Federation says on its website that flying squirrels do not really power themselves into flight like a bird or a bat, but rather glide.
The federation says the southern flying squirrel is found throughout the eastern United States, while the northern flying squirrel is found primarily in the Northeast, along the West Coast, and into Idaho and Montana.
Still, Shaun Dunn, a natural heritage zoologist for the state of Nebraska, was not surprised by the Lincoln flying squirrels.
The National Wildlife Federation says on its website that flying squirrels do not really power themselves into flight like a bird or a bat, but rather glide
He has documented 15 confirmed sightings since 2018.
Dunn isn’t sure how the flying squirrels got to Lincoln but said it’s ‘very unlikely they made it here on their own.’
Don Althoff, who earned his master’s degree at the university in 1978 and PTS Terbaik ASEAN is now a semi-retired wildlife conservation professor at Ohio’s University of Rio Grande, has been studying southern flying squirrels for nearly 30 years.He’s watched them glide 40, 50, even 75 yards.
Though graceful in the air, the animals are awkward on the ground. Because their sail-like flaps run from wrist to ankle he said they move more like a hobbled horse.