Sciuridirae+-+Ranganathan

= __﻿ Southern Flying Squirrel __ =

//(Glaucomys Volans) //
The Sciuridae Family

The Sciuridae family consists of 278 species. This includes animals like the arboreal grey squirrel, marmots, chipmunks and prairie dogs. A main charecterisic in s ciurids  is their skull structure. Their jaws allow their cheeks to expand to store nuts. Another charecteristic about s ciurids  is that they eat nuts. Also, scuirds generally have longer hindlimbs than forelimbs. Another charecteristic about sciurids is that they almost always have an excellent sense of sight.

Southern Flying Squirrel Information:


 * Kingdom: Animalia
 * Phylum: Chordata
 * Class: Mammalia
 * Order: Rodentia
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Family: Sciuridae
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Genus: Glaucomys
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Species: Volans

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Movement- Southern Flying Squirrels move in a very interesting way. They do not actually fly, they glide. They climb up on a high tree and then jump off. They have a special membrane that acts as wings. This membrane expands or opens when gliding. They glide for about 80 - 150 ft. Once they land they quickly crawl up a tree and then repeat the process. They usually move at night because they are nocturnal. They have special whiskers called feelers <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> that help them feel around.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Metabolism- Southern Flying Squirrels eat many things. They are omnivorous, which means that they eat both plants and animals. Their favorite things to eat are nuts They nuts that they mostly eat are acorns, pecans and hickory nuts. They also eat bark, tree sap, flowers, berries, fruits, mushrooms, lichens, slugs, snails, young mice, insects, bird's eggs, baby birds and if they have to dead and rotting animals. They get their food by scavenging. One interesting fact about these type of squirrels is they can collect about 15,000 nuts in one season.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Growth and Development- Southern Flying Squirrels, can grow up to 8-10 in. They take about one year to reach sexual maturity.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Reproduction- Southern Flying Squirrels mainly reproduce in two main periods. The first period is between February and March, the second is between late May through July. Females gestate for about 40 days. Females have two litters at max per year. There can be between 3-7 squirrels in a litter.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Response to stimuli- Southern Flying Squirrels have many adaptations. One of their adaptations is having bulging eyes. They can help the squirrels see better since they are nocturnal. Bulging eyes let more light in so they can see better. Another adaption they have is grey fur on their back. This is used as camaflouge. The fur on their back is grey which helps them hide from predators from above. They also have a flat tail. The flat tail helps them be more balanced when they are flying.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Males and Females- There is no difference between males and females. They have the same color and size. Males are less aggressive than females. Also, males do not help take care of their young.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Sources:

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Pictures:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">-http://www.bbwildliferemoval.com/images/flying2.jpg

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">- <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;">http://www.hiltonpond.org/images/ChipmunkEastern06.jpg

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">- <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;">http://www.maximumfun.org/images/marmot.jpg

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> By: Pranav Ranganathan, Period 2