Fun Woolly Flying Squirrel Facts For Kids
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Flying squirrels have always been a topic of amazement among kids and even adults.
These intelligent woolly flying squirrels belong to the family of Sciuridae and come in around 40 plus species. As the name suggests, flying squirrels are not as good at flying when compared to birds and bats, however, there are pretty excellent in gliding from one place to another.
These squirrels are nocturnal and can obtain a flight of around 295 ft (90 m), their tail and limbs provide them the much-needed support for a successful jump.
Out of their 50 species, a small part of their population is also found in North America. The majority of woolly flying squirrels (Eupetaurus cinereus) are found in Asia.
These mammals often take into use their loose skin and padded feet to stabilize the glide. To learn more about such amazing mammals, make sure to check out our antelope squirrel and Indian palm squirrel facts pages.
Woolly Flying Squirrel Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a woolly flying squirrel?
A woolly flying squirrel is a type of mammal and it belongs to the family of Sciuridae and tribe Pteromyini.
What class of animal does a woolly flying squirrel belong to?
These flying squirrel species belong to the class Mammalia.
How many woolly flying squirrels are there in the world?
According to the Pakistan Wildlife Conservation Society, these squirrels are now present in very limited areas.
Due to habitat loss and human domination, these species have very little area to themselves. These flying squirrel species were earlier thought to be extinct, but today they are considered in grave danger of extinction and are listed under Endangered species by the IUCN.
Although the exact population number is yet not obtained, these species are under the IUCN red list, and hunting, trapping along with several human activities remained to be the reason for it.
Where does a woolly flying squirrel live?
In northern Pakistan, the woolly flying squirrel is said to be living under caves. Regions of South Asia are also widely known for being home to a range of flying squirrels.
In India these species are found in the eastern Himalayas, around 14 species of flying squirrels are found living in various Arunachal Pradesh and a similar region nearby. The rest other three species can be found in Northern America, nonetheless, these species are considered Endangered in New York and Pennsylvania.
What is a woolly flying squirrel's habitat?
This nocturnal squirrel tends to search for caves and steep cliffs especially on the dryer side of the forest or wildlife when it comes to looking for a habitat. They are highly dependent on pine needles and look for forests that are well forested with blue pine and are high in altitude.
One of the habits of this tiny woolly flying (Eupetaurus cinereus) is that they like elevated areas which are in the range of 7875-12467 ft (2,400-3,800 m), with dry scrubland and alpine lands.
Who do woolly flying squirrels live with?
These mammals live with plenty of other animals in their natural territory. Other species such as common squirrels and crows are the common neighbors to this resident of northern Pakistan. Other neighbors include small birds such as Eurasian tree sparrows.
How long does a woolly flying squirrel live?
The woolly flying squirrel adaptations to its natural surroundings are amazing and can be traced back to around 18-20 million years back. However, despite their successful adaptations in the wild, these flying squirrels can live up to around four to five years.
How do they reproduce?
Reproduction and breeding among the flying squirrel population depend very much on the species it belongs to. There are few flying squirrel families which only have one mating cycle per year while some mate twice.
The breeding habits can be different and dependent on the region these animals are from. For the species reading in northern Pakistan, they usually have courtship in the warmer month and give birth to around one to six young (in general two to three).
As these woolly flying squirrels are nocturnal (perform most of their activities during the night) they can easily protect their young from predators during the night when they are more vulnerable.
The young woolly flying squirrels during birth are helpless, blind and without body, hair they are cared for by their mother. During the breeding season, the woolly flying squirrel mostly nests in natural tree cavities or old nests.
What is their conservation status?
Woolly flying squirrels (Eupetaurus cinereus) are in grave danger of extinction and are listed under IUCN red list as Endangered. According to various wildlife conservation committees, their conservation status is Non-Extinct.
Woolly Flying Squirrel Fun Facts
What do woolly flying squirrels look like?
It's very easy to identify the woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus), their gliding membrane is the key feature in identifying them. Their tail is generally soft and gray in color, most of their underparts are white with their upperparts being light brown in color as similar to most species under their genus.
They have big black eyes helping them search for food. Their limb and hand bones are stranger when compared to other squirrels as they help them to glide better and with more stability between pine trees.
*We've been unable to source an image of a woolly flying squirrel and have used an image of a Southern flying squirrel instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a woolly flying squirrel, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.How cute are they?
These residents of northern Pakistan are absolutely adorable and can win anyone's heart. A woolly flying squirrel has big black eyes which make it sweet-looking.
How do they communicate?
A woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus) is very intelligent and when it comes to communication with one another they rely on their highly developed senses. Their sense of hearing and touch helps them travel from one region to another and detecting their way through wildlife and predators at night.
However, it's still not clear how squirrels communicate with one another as they are very hard to study, due to their quick reflexes in wild.
How big is a woolly flying squirrel?
The woolly flying squirrel size is small mammals when evaluated against other neighboring species. A woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus) is two times smaller when compared with a sugar glider and a little bigger than red-tailed chipmunks.
How fast can a woolly flying squirrel move?
A woolly flying squirrel moves very fast both when gliding or during its search for food. However, these species do not come out on the ground very often to safeguard themselves against predators, they mostly rely on their ability to glide and can effectively glide up to a good distance of 1500 ft (450 m).
How much does a woolly flying squirrel weigh?
A woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus) can weigh anywhere around 1.6-2.5 oz (45-82 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
Both the sexes look alike and have similar features and diets. In this genus the sexes are not assigned different names.
What would you call a baby woolly flying squirrel?
Babies of woolly flying squirrels (Eupetaurus cinereus) are called kits. They are born blind and naked and are completely helpless, they depend a lot on their mothers. In some corners of the world, baby squirrels are also referred to as kittens.
What do they eat?
The woolly flying squirrel, Eupetaurus cinereus, is omnivorous and follows a very simple diet. Squirrels in this genus eat nuts, seeds, corns, eggs, and even young birds along with the fungus.
Are they dangerous?
No, they are not dangerous to humans in any sense, however, it's the other way around when it comes to a woolly flying squirrel. Humans are a greater threat to these squirrels than they are to humans.
Would they make a good pet?
Yes! A woolly flying squirrel can be an excellent pet.
Did you know...
Flying squirrels can glow at night.
Is the woolly flying squirrel extinct?
No, the woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus) is not yet extinct but it is in danger of extinction due to constant habitat loss and hunting.
Different types of flying squirrel
Depending on one region to another there are many kinds of flying squirrels such as southern flying squirrel and northern flying squirrel.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our Arctic Ground squirrel facts and Japanese squirrel facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable woolly flying squirrel coloring pages.
*We've been unable to source an image of a woolly flying squirrel and have used an image of a Chinese giant flying squirrel instead as the main image. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a woolly flying squirrel, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.
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