Essays on the life of the smaller brothers. American flying squirrel is not quite an ordinary squirrel Squirrel in winter

Our forests are rich in all kinds of living creatures, including rodents. However, among them it is not so easy to meet a flying rodent, namely a flying squirrel. She is the only representative of squirrels capable of jumping-flying in the territory. Russian Federation. The squirrel has the ability to jump so masterfully between the branches of trees thanks to the membranes between the front and hind legs.

External Features

In appearance, a is very similar to the short-eared representative of the "red-tails", that is, squirrels. It is distinguished only by a wide leather fold with a woolen cover. This is a kind of parachute and at the same time the bearing surface when jumping. In front, the fold is “fastened” with a sickle-shaped tassel from the wrist to the forearm. However, she does not have membranes from the back, like her counterparts. The squirrel parachute does not connect to the tail. The flying squirrel has a fluffy and long tail.

However, it is much less common squirrel. The body length can be only 12 cm, and the maximum size does not exceed 28.5 cm. At the same time, the tail is from 11 to 13 cm. What can we say about the feet, which are only 3 cm, ears, the size of which is not more than 2 cm. And the weight flying squirrels only 170 grams. The head of a flying squirrel is neat and round, with a blunt nose and bulging black eyes. The shape of the eyes is mainly due to the nocturnal lifestyle. Squirrel ears do not have tassels, and the legs are short. The rear ones are longer than the front ones. On the paws are short, but rather sharp claws that bend inward. On the belly of the flying squirrel there are 4 pairs of nipples.

The fur of this flying squirrel is very thick and soft. In ordinary squirrels, the coat is much coarser. These jumpers are slightly different in their color. The coat on the upper body is gray with a brown tint, but the belly is almost white. The tail is much lighter than the rest of the coat. In this case, the cover has a certain comb on the sides. The thickest and most beautiful cover of the flying squirrel occurs in winter. But she sheds identically to her simple brothers - twice a year. The eyes of the flying squirrel are tinted, or rather have a black stroke.

Zoology has 10 species of these flying animals, eight of which live on domestic lands.

Life cycle

The flying squirrel likes to settle in old mixed forests, characterized by the presence of aspens, birch and alder. Often settles near swamps and streams. Doesn't like jumpers coniferous forests. But where birches and alders come across among the fir trees and pines, a squirrel can settle. The flying squirrel can also inhabit mountain ranges with existing forest thickets, as well as floodplain thickets of the north, ribbon forests of Siberia.

The squirrel representative is active all year round but mostly at night or at dusk. If the animal is a nursing mother, then it can be seen even during the day. The flying squirrel generally spends most of its life in search of food. Similarly to its ordinary counterparts, it settles in hollows of trees. Moreover, it can be ready-made old houses for woodpeckers, squirrels, magpies. Sometimes flying squirrels inhabit rock crevices. Squirrel puts forward only strict requirements for them in height, namely from 3 to 12 meters from the ground. Very rarely, but still, a settlement of these animals occurs in birdhouses near human settlements. The squirrel ennobles its housing with soft moss, leaves, and dry grass.

Flying squirrels are friendly, non-aggressive representatives of the animal world. At the same time, they can be friends with each other and even settle in the same nest with other jumpers. Aggression can only be shown by a representative of the squirrels, protecting her offspring.

Thanks to its lethal device, the squirrel can glide from tree to tree, located at a distance of 50-60 meters. In order to make a jump, the squirrel needs to rise to the very top, and then place the paws on the sides so that the hind legs are pressed to the tail. If you see such a flight from below, then the shape of the squirrel will resemble a triangle. The flying squirrel can perform maneuvers due to the ability to control its membranes. The animal can change flight angles up to 90 degrees. And its long fluffy tail in the event of a flight acts as a braking device.

Before landing on the “seat”, the squirrel takes a vertical position, and then clings to the tree trunk with all four limbs. Feeling the support, the flying squirrel runs to the other side of the trunk and thus escapes from the attack of birds of prey.

The presence of the animal in the forest is very difficult to determine. Its color merges with the crowns of trees, the footprints are very similar to those of the common squirrel. However, it can give out a specific litter that resembles an ant clutch of eggs.

The flying squirrel can be heard by its specific chirping.

The diet of the animal is vegetable. It can be buds and foliage of trees. The jumper loves young needles and its seeds very much. Especially pine or larch. The flying squirrel is a thrifty animal and stores seeds for the winter in its dwelling. It also stocks up with alder and birch earrings. In summer, a representative of squirrels can eat mushrooms and berries. She does not refuse from the bark of trees. The dining table of the flying squirrel is decorated with willow, aspen, birch and young maple bark. Rarely, but still, flying squirrels feed on bird eggs or newly hatched chicks.

The offspring of the squirrel brings about 2 times a year. It can be from 2 to 4 squirrels. However, jumper reproduction is poorly understood. The first brood of the animal appears in the spring (in April-May), the second in the middle of summer. Flying squirrel cubs are born very small and helpless. They do not have fur, and begin to see only after two weeks. The squirrels begin to leave the nest only after a month and a half. On the 45th day they try to fly, and by the 50th day of their life they try to plan. In the same period, they switch to adult nutrition and begin their independent existence.

The life of these flying creatures in conditions wildlife does not even reach the age of five. In captivity, the period of their existence is from 9 to 13 years. This happens because of natural enemies - owls, martens and sables, as well as because of other dangerous factors. For example, hunting for her by a man.

Flying squirrel hunting

Unfortunately, there are very few such flying jumpers and hunting for them is limited. At the same time, the fur does not represent it. great value. Hunting is interesting only as a valuable and unusual trophy. At the same time, the representative of the squirrel is considered one of the oldest animals. Its remains are dated to the Miocene period.

The American flying squirrel is a member of the squirrel family. The flying squirrel differs from the common squirrel in that it has skin membranes stretching from the front paws to the hind legs.

American flying squirrels are nocturnal, so they have large eyes, like all animals that adapt to life in the dark.

Due to their special body structure, these animals plan from tree to tree, they do not just jump, but in literally words fly, while they can perform complex movements, for example, land at the same point with the bark began their flight. The flight of these squirrels can be called aerobatics. In one flight, a squirrel can fly a distance of up to 60 meters. Thanks to this ability, American flying squirrels have advantages over many predators.

The crescent-shaped bones that extend from the wrist allow the American flying squirrel to feel confident in the air and on the ground. When the squirrel is in its normal position, the membrane is tightened, so it does not interfere with the free movement of the animal.

During the jump, the American flying squirrel can coordinate movements by moving its front legs and changing the angle of the membrane. Previously, it was assumed that the moving and large tail helps the animals to perform tricks, but over time it became clear that the tail of the flying squirrel is used only to slow down.

These squirrels live high in the crowns of trees, and they descend to the ground in rare cases. The animals are not whimsical about food, most often they eat on the go, and only the most delicious berries or nuts are hidden in hollows.

In winter, these reserves come in, by the way, because flying squirrels sometimes wake up during hibernation, refresh themselves and fall asleep again. The diet of flying squirrels consists of plant shoots, buds, seeds, lichens, fruits, and fungi. In warm weather, proteins are added to the plant diet of insects, even spiders.

In summer, American flying squirrels prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle, but with the first cold weather they gather in groups of up to 25 individuals. With their bodies, squirrels warm each other during the day and during hibernation. AT hibernation the animals fall in only when the temperature drops significantly, but this is far from every winter.

The enemies of American flying squirrels are large birds, mainly owls. If other birds of prey catch flying squirrels when they are on a tree, then owls can hunt them on the fly, while owls are guided by hearing, that is, they can hunt in complete darkness. American flying squirrels are saved from predators by flying long distances.

After mating American flying squirrels, after 40 days, the females have babies. Most often, one female gives birth to 2-3 squirrels. Babies can fly after 2 months, while the female carefully monitors them, if the flight is unsuccessful, then the mother helps the baby climb the tree again. The mother teaches the offspring to get food and teaches flight techniques. When the cubs are fully grown and master the technique of flight, they, nevertheless, do not leave their mother and stay with her until the next winter.

Squirrel (Sciurus) is a mammal from the order of rodents, the squirrel family. The article describes this family.

Squirrel: description and photo

An ordinary squirrel has a long body, a fluffy tail and long ears. The ears of the squirrel are large and elongated, sometimes with tassels at the end. Paws are strong, with strong and sharp claws. Thanks to strong paws, rodents climb trees so easily.

An adult squirrel has a large tail, which makes up 2/3 of the entire body and serves as a “rudder” for it in flight. She catches them air currents and balances. Squirrels also hide with their tails when they sleep. When choosing a partner, one of the main criteria is the tail. These animals are very attentive to this part of their body, it is the squirrel's tail that is an indicator of its health.

The size of the average squirrel is 20-31 cm. Giant squirrels are about 50 cm in size, while the length of the tail is equal to the length of the body. The smallest squirrel, mouse, has a body length of only 6-7.5 cm.

The coat of a squirrel is different in winter and summer, as this animal sheds twice a year. In winter, the fur is fluffy and dense, and in summer it is short and more rare. The color of the squirrel is not the same, it can be dark brown, almost black, red and gray color with a white belly. In summer, squirrels are mostly red, and in winter the coat becomes bluish-gray.

Red squirrels have brown or olive red fur. In summer, a black longitudinal strip appears on their sides, separating the belly and back. On the tummy and around the eyes, the fur is light.

Flying squirrels on the sides of the body, between the wrists and ankles, have a skin membrane that allows them to glide.

Dwarf squirrels have gray or brown fur on the back and light on the abdomen.

Types of squirrels, names and photos

The squirrel family includes 48 genera, which consist of 280 species. Below are some members of the family:

• Common flying squirrel;
• white squirrel;
• Mouse squirrel;
• The common squirrel or veksha is the only representative of the squirrel genus in Russia.

The smallest is the mouse squirrel. Its length is only 6-7.5 cm, while the length of the tail reaches 5 cm.

Where does the squirrel live?

Squirrel is an animal that lives on all continents except Australia, Madagascar, the polar territories, southern South America and northwestern Africa. Squirrels live in Europe from Ireland to Scandinavia, in most of the CIS countries, in Asia Minor, partly in Syria and Iran, in northern China. Also, these animals inhabit the Northern and South America, Trinidad and Tobago Islands.
Squirrel lives in various forests: from northern to tropical. Most lives in trees, excellent climbing and jumping from branch to branch. Traces of squirrels can also be found near water bodies. Also, these rodents live next to a person near plowed lands and in parks.

What do squirrels eat?

Basically, the squirrel eats nuts, acorns, seeds coniferous trees: , larch, fir. The diet of the animal includes mushrooms and various grains. In addition to plant foods, she can eat various beetles, bird chicks. In case of crop failure and in early spring squirrel eats buds on trees, lichens, berries, bark of young shoots, rhizomes and herbaceous plants.

Squirrel in winter. How does a squirrel prepare for winter?

As the squirrel prepares for winter, it makes many hiding places for its stores. She collects acorns, nuts and mushrooms, can hide food in hollows, burrows, or dig holes herself. Many winter supplies proteins are stolen by other animals. And squirrels simply forget about some hiding places. The animal helps to restore the forest after a fire and increases the number of new trees. It is because of the forgetfulness of squirrels that hidden nuts and seeds germinate and form new plantings. In winter, the squirrel does not sleep, having prepared a supply of food in the fall. During frosts, she sits in her hollow, being half asleep. If the frost is small, the squirrel is active: it can steal hiding places, chipmunks and nutcrackers, finding prey even under a one and a half meter layer of snow.

squirrel in spring

Early spring is the most unfavorable time for squirrels, so during this period the animals have practically nothing to eat. The stored seeds are starting to germinate, and new ones have not yet appeared. Therefore, squirrels can only eat buds on trees and gnaw on the bones of animals that died during the winter. Squirrels living near humans often visit bird feeders in the hope of finding seeds and grains there. In the spring, squirrels begin to molt, this happens in mid-late March, molting ends at the end of May. Also in the spring, mating games begin for squirrels.

Squirrels are small mammalian rodents of the Squirrel family that are able to communicate with each other using various sounds and smells. Squirrels have a slender, streamlined elongated body, a fluffy long tail, long ears. The color of the fur is reddish-brown with a white belly. In winter, squirrels adapt to survive in new conditions and change their coat color to gray. They also use their tails as a signaling device, the twitching of which warns other squirrels of potential danger.
There are over 265 types of squirrels around the world. The smallest are the African dwarf squirrels, which are only about 10 cm long, while the Indian giant squirrel reaches a length of almost one meter.
When a squirrel is afraid and feels that it is in danger, it will primarily remain still. If he is on the ground, he will climb the nearest tree and climb to a safe height, and if she is already on the tree, he will try to press his body tightly against his bark.
Squirrels are very trusting animals, and are one of the very few wild animals that humans can tame.
In cold habitats such as Russia, squirrels plan in advance how to survive in difficult winter months. They store nuts and seeds, hiding them in various places, and return to them throughout the winter to replenish their energy reserves when food is scarce.
Squirrels are extremely intelligent creatures. For example, they may make fake food supplies to fool would-be thieves, such as other squirrels or birds. And they arrange their real hiding places in another, safe place.
Squirrels make their homes in trees. They look like hollows or bird nests and are made of branches and moss. Usual
but the squirrel hollow has dimensions soccer ball, it is lined with grass, bark, moss and feathers for extra comfort and warmth.
There are proteins that can ... fly. They are called "flying squirrels" and there are 44 species of such squirrels. Of course, they can't actually fly, it's about gliding in the air using a special membrane that is located on the body of the flying squirrel and extends from the wrist to the ankles. This allows the squirrels to naturally glide on long jumps, much like humans do with a parachute. Such sliding jumps can exceed 46 meters.
More than 200 species of squirrels live throughout the world, with the exception of Australia.
Like other rodents, squirrels have 4 sharp front teeth that never stop growing, so their teeth do not wear out from constant gnawing. Squirrels are found everywhere forest areas to city parks. Although they are amazing "climbers", they still often go to the ground in search of food, such as nuts, acorns, berries and flowers. They also eat bark, bird eggs or small chicks. Tree sap is a delicacy for some types of squirrels.
Female squirrels give birth several times a year, several blind squirrels are born at a time, which are completely dependent on their mothers during the first two or three months of life.
For a long time, people exterminated squirrels for valuable fur, but thanks to the high birth rate, the global squirrel population is still numerous.

In this section, you will learn about some interesting features protein.

Squirrels live mainly in the forests of Europe. They reach 25 centimeters in length; thus, each of you can fit two such proteins in your hands. These animals have a thick fluffy tail, reaching the length of the squirrel itself. Thanks to this tail, squirrels manage to jump from tree to tree without losing their balance.

TEETH THAT GROW AGAIN EVEN IF BREAKED

Squirrels have very strong and healthy teeth - not at all like ours. In the front of the mouth, the squirrels have incisors that break and gnaw hard materials, and in the back of the mouth there are molars. If we want to eat a nut, then in order to break it, we use a fairly strong stone or a specially made metal object. These same miniature animals can easily do this job with their incisors.

Have you ever wondered how strong a squirrel's teeth remain throughout its life, or how a squirrel with broken teeth will gnaw nuts? Nature has endowed squirrel teeth with one very important property. You will probably be surprised to learn that if a squirrel's teeth break or wear out, then new ones immediately appear in their place. Erased teeth constantly grow back from the root. This property is characteristic not only of proteins, but also of all animals that gnaw their food.

Squirrels can climb trees using their small, sharp claws. A squirrel can run along a branch, then turn upside down and run further. But a special kind of squirrels - gray squirrels - can freely jump from the top branch of one tree to another, located at a distance of four meters. During the flight, they spread their front and hind legs and fly almost like a glider.

Yes, but how do they do it? All this is due to the fact that squirrels skillfully use their hind legs, keen eyes that allow you to accurately determine the distance, strong claws and a tail designed to maintain balance. Have you ever thought about who gave the proteins these special abilities and taught them how to use them; how do squirrels know how they should behave, what skills and when to show? After all, squirrels, even if they wanted to, would not be able to take a ruler in their paws and measure the height of each tree or the length of branches, but then how do they determine the distance to jump? In addition, how can squirrels jump so fast and at the same time remain safe and sound, and there are so many obstacles and dangers on their way: if the squirrel weren’t so dexterous, it would have long since collided with something and got hurt, or maybe (it’s scary to even think!), and would fall at all?

In addition to the talent of a trickster-athlete, squirrels have all the necessary abilities and physical data in order to be able to extract seeds hidden under a strong nut shell, because squirrels are big lovers of chestnuts, hazelnuts and seeds located in fir cones that grow on the tops of tall trees. Squirrels are adapted to make it easy for them to find their own food.

In winter, when everything edible is hidden under the snow, it is difficult for squirrels to find food. Therefore, these prudent animals prepare their provisions for winter period summer. It is interesting that, when creating stocks of food for the winter, they show amazing accuracy. As if realizing that fruits and meat quickly deteriorate, they do not stock up on this food. Squirrels prepare only long-stored foods for themselves for the winter, such as nuts and cones.

Squirrels that store food for the winter find what they have hidden in different places nuts thanks to a great sense of smell. They can smell nuts, even hidden under a 30 cm layer of snow.

Squirrels bring food for the winter into their minks, where they hide it in several places. Later, they forget the location of most of these places. From the supplies not used by the squirrels, new trees grow over time.

Squirrels, like many other animals, have a special system of communication with each other. For example, when red squirrels notice an enemy, they begin to wag their tails and scream in alarm. Whiskers in squirrels are also important element to keep balance. Squirrels whose whiskers are cut off cannot keep their balance. Squirrel whiskers have another purpose: when moving at night, whiskers help squirrels to sense objects around them.

Did you know that there is a so-called "flying" squirrel? All species of the "flying squirrel" living in Australia, ranging in size from 45 to 90 centimeters, live in trees. These proteins acquired their name due to the peculiarities of movement. Their jumps from branch to branch resemble flight, and the squirrel itself during the "flight" becomes like a real glider. In fact, what squirrels do during their movements is not really flight: they just make long jumps, jumping from one tree to another. Squirrels gliding between trees do not have wings, but instead have a flying membrane. This membrane in the "silver flying squirrel" (this is a type of flying squirrel) is stretched from the front legs to the back; the flight membrane of squirrels is narrow and covered with long hairs resembling a fringe. Thanks to the stretched skin of the flying membrane, the squirrel can cover a distance of about 30 meters in one "flight". Cases were noted when, in six "flights" in a row, they covered a distance of 530 meters.

When small animals do not move, they quickly lose heat and can freeze. Therefore, immobility, especially during sleep, is serious danger for their life. How do these animals survive? It turns out that all living beings in nature are protected from harmful effects environment. For example, squirrels wrap themselves in their fur-like tails and sleep curled up in a ball. This saves them from freezing during sleep.