Talk:Northern flying squirrel

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The correction of the systematic name to Glaucomys sabrinus is correct - thanks for spotting it. This was a typing error on my part way back when, which has gone unnoticed (and has propagated) ever since. seglea 19:07, 4 Aug 2004 (UT

this isnt a message to say that something is wrong, but if you could put that they like to feed on bird feeders becasue i have one in my backyard and it always eats out of my birdfeeder and we like to watch it at night.

thank you.

If you could provide a bit more information, this might be worth a mention. Are you sure it's a Northern, not a Southern, flying squirrel? Where are you located, what's in the feeder, what time of year does the squirrel visit? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.108.184.224 (talk) 16:17, 27 December 2008 (UTC) This is not an added piece of information, but perhaps if a person who is knowledgeable on the subject could mention the issue surrounding homeowners in keeping these squirrels out of their homes, particularly basements, and even in the walls, and roof tiles, where they have been known to find shelter. (Roof repairmen have found them , usually dead, under the tiles of the roof). The reason I feel you should add the part about how to deal with these squirrels is that it is such a growing issue in North American homes, especially those located in older forest areas, or swamp lands. When they nest in your home, it has been reported that you can catch and release them, but they will find your home again, up to 3-4 miles away! I was just suggesting , as I said previously, that a person with more knowledge then I might want to add this as a section in the official entry! Thanks so much. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.118.231.166 (talk) 13:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

How do they fly???

Well… they don’t. They don’t “fly” using wings. They glide from tree to tree by spreading their arms and legs and letting skin folds out the act like a parachute or hang glider. This skin fold folds (surprisingly) back so they can be nimble when they aren’t in the air.

Northern flying squirrels are found throughout most of the forested areas of Canada. They are active in all seasons, but they are rarely seen by humans because of their nocturnal habits. Their large, dark eyes are specially adapted for night vision; they see as well at night as humans can see during the day. A furry membrane unites the front and back legs. When stretched, it acts like a parachute, enabling the squirrel to glide from higher branches to lower ones. Northern flying squirrels can glide from 3 to 50 m (9.8 to 164.0 ft).) and they can change direction mid-glide. This species averages about 30 cm (12 in.) long, including about 14 cm (5.5 in.) of tail. this was by Kyle Banks... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.99.183.242 (talk) 16:05, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

"A major food source..."

The article currently says "A major food source for the squirrels are mushrooms fungi (truffles)" -- which isn't clear. I see three possible interpretations:

1. they eat mushrooms, fungi in general, and sometimes truffles in particular
2. they eat mushrooms and truffles, the author using the phrase "fungi (truffles)" to mean just truffles
3. they eat truffles, and the author used the phrase "mushrooms fungi (truffles)" to mean just truffles (It seems unlikely that a "major food source" could be truffles, put it's a possible interpretation.)

108.7.236.58 (talk) 22:18, 4 August 2010 (UTC)

For expansion of this article...

one who is interested might consider the research of Alexander V. Badyaev of the University of Arizona, who has studied their "flying" in detail and found they these animals are capable of extraordinary feats as a result of their evolution of aerodynamic structures. A popular article is here: http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/see-the-nighttime-acrobatics-of-montanas-flying-squirrels 173.174.85.204 (talk) 02:20, 30 December 2016 (UTC)Eric

Weird Fake Information

The range map cites "iucnredlist.org" but admits it is modified, ie, original research. The map displayed is nothing like the actual map at iucnredlist.org and leaves out all of Oregon, for example. There are common here, though rarely seen. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39553/22256914 Actual map 71.63.160.210 (talk) 20:49, 13 January 2021 (UTC)

@71.63.160.210: Digging around a little, there is actually a good reason for that: in 2017 the Humboldt's flying squirrel was separated from the Northern - that's the west coast population. Our map was correctly updated to reflect this, but IUCN hasn't caught up with this reclassification yet. --Elmidae (talk · contribs) 22:24, 13 January 2021 (UTC)