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Flying squirrel

About: Flying squirrel is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 360 publications have been published within this topic receiving 5689 citations. The topic is also known as: flying squirrel.


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TL;DR: In this article, the distribution of flying squirrels in residential areas of the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains with the assistance of citizen scientist volunteers was confirmed with motion sensor camera traps near bird feeders on their property and uploaded their results to a project webpage and associated iNaturalist project.
Abstract: The San Bernardino flying squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis californicus) is a California Species of Special Concern restricted to montane forests of southern California. We confirmed the distribution of this species in residential areas of the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains with the assistance of citizen scientist volunteers. Project participants placed motion sensor camera traps near bird feeders on their property and uploaded their results to a project webpage and associated iNaturalist project. Flying squirrels were documented at all sites monitored in the San Bernardino Mountains but were not detected in the San Jacinto Mountains, consistent with survey results in recent decades. Forest structure plots between the 2 ranges differed in tree density, tree height, litter depth, and canopy closure, but it is unclear whether these differences alone can explain the lack of detections in the San Jacinto Mountains. Habitat in residential areas may provide subsidized food and water resources that are attractive to flying squirrels and important to their persistence, especially in seasonally dry forests and areas subject to prolonged drought, such as those in the study area.

1 citations

01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: It is indicated that woolly flying squirrels feed, mostly or entirely, on pine needles, which is extremely unusual for a mammal and may explain the squirrel's unusual tooth structure.
Abstract: The woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus) is an extremely aberrant sciurid. It is the longest squirrel in the world and the only sciurid with hypsodont dentition. Most of the information on this species comes from a few study skins collected from the western Himalayas over a century ago. The unusual tooth structure of the squirrel led to suppositions about its diet, including the supposition that it ate moss and lichens scraped from rocks. In 1994, 1995, and 1996, we analyzed fecal samples from 4 squirrels. All 4 squirrels ate 92-100% pine needles. These data, coupled with observations of captive and recently released specimens, indicated that woolly flying squirrels feed, mostly or entirely, on pine needles. Such a diet is extremely unusual for a mammal and may explain the squirrel's unusual tooth structure. Destruction of high-elevation pine woodlands in this region is a distinct and immediate threat to the survival of this species.

1 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
20221
202113
20208
201920
20187
20178