Ordinary Flying Fly: description and photo. Who is a flying squirrel?

Ordinary fly, or flying squirrel - is a small rodent. He belongs to the family of the belians. By the way, this is the only animal from the subfamily flying in Russia. Its name was received by the fly because of its amazing ability to plan from one tree to another. Now let's talk in more detail about this animal, its habits. The reader will know who the flying squirrel is.

Description of fauna representative

The Flying Squirrel is a medium animal, with an average length of 170 mm. The tail of this animal in comparison with the body is large enough. On average, its length is 120 mm. Now consider the ears and feet of the animal. The length of the foot is about 35 mm, and the ears are 18 mm. The weight of such a small animal is on average 125 grams. The skin folded skin ("flying membrane"), running along the sides of the body, connects the hind legs and forelegs. It also plays the role of a parachute. The front of the wrinkle is supported by a bone, which departs from the wrist. The tail is long, covered with thick wool. The head of this animal is small, rounder than that of a normal squirrel. Ears rounded, short, without brushes. The area around the peephole is black.

Due to the fact that the animal is nocturnal, he has large and prominent eyes. The wool is soft, silky, thin. Especially thick and lush it becomes in the winter season. The color of the animal is light gray with a yellowish tinge. The tail is lighter than the animal's body itself. The inner surface of the paws and abdomen is dull yellow-white in color. As a rule, the squirrel has a skull shortened. Relatively large lethargic drum chambers.

Since an ordinary fly is climbing a lot of trees, its limbs are elongated, especially the forearms and shins.

Spread

An ordinary flyer lives in the taiga and mixed forests of Eurasia. You can meet her in Finland, Mongolia, China, Korea, Latvia and Estonia.

An ordinary flyer lives in hollows. His nests are arranged on trees at a height of four meters from the ground. Sometimes it is possible to see the nests of this protein in the forest-steppe of Western Siberia.

What the Flyer eats

The basis of the ration of this animal is the tips of shoots, pine nuts, buds of deciduous trees, seeds of conifers. In the summer, the menu is slightly more diverse, and various mushrooms and berries are added. Sometimes animals grind a thin young bark of aspen, maple, willow and birch. Especially like flying birch and alder earrings. Their animal even stores for the winter, folding into its hollow. There is an assumption that an ordinary flyer can eat bird eggs and chicks. In general, the diet of this animal depends entirely on where it lives. For example, in the northeastern parts of the range the animal feeds only on the larch in the winter.

Peculiarities of animal behavior

Active ordinary flyer all year round. The way of life is twilight and night. Nursing females, as well as young animals appear in the daytime. As a rule, an ordinary flyer spends most of his life on trees, on land descends occasionally. The activity of this protein sharply decreases in the cold season. Note that the beast does not go into hibernation, but when it's frosty outside, it spends time in the nest, using the feed stocks that it made in warm weather.

Social structure

In one nest, as a rule, there are two flying squirrels. These animals are non-aggressive, social. The only one who can manifest aggression is a lactating female.

When the animal reproduces? How many babies are in the offspring?

Not much is known about the reproduction of this animal. In a year, the fly has an average of two offspring, each with three cubs. The duration of pregnancy in the female is about five weeks. In May, the first brood appears, and the second - in early July.

Enemies

Unfortunately, the fighter has enemies. These include sable, large owls and, of course, marten.

What is the use and harm to man from this animal

Fur of an animal is of little value. Despite the softness and beauty, he has a fragile, thin flesh. This is the reason for the difficulty of use. In captivity, an ordinary flying squirrel very badly takes root. All because she needs space to jump.

Important remark about the number

Due to the fact that the number of such an animal is everywhere decreasing, the common flyer is officially recognized as a vanishing species. The Red Book of Belarus has this beast in its lists. The flying man belongs to the third category of protection. In 1993, the protein was added to the Red Book. In addition, the flying squirrel can be found in the lists of a number of Red Books of Russia.

Interesting Facts

1. Did you know that a flying squad can travel a distance of up to fifty meters along a descending parabolic curve? To make a leap, the squirrel climbs onto the top of the tree.
2. During the flight, the fly forms a triangular silhouette. During this period, the hind limbs of the animal are pressed to the tail, and the forelegs are widely spaced. The flying man maneuvers, changing the tension of the membranes. During the flight, it can change the direction even by 90 degrees. The role of the brake is usually performed by the tail. Before landing, the ordinary flyer assumes a vertical position, clinging to the tree with four paws, then it runs to the other side of the trunk. Thanks to this maneuver, she can dodge the feathered predators.
3. It is very difficult to notice this animal in the forest. Thanks to the protective color of the fleece, the fly can coalesce with the aspen trunks (they are gray). On land, the animal rarely leaves traces, and even then it is very difficult to understand whose they are, since they resemble squirrels.
4. The flying squirrel can chirp. The voice of the animal in its habitats can be heard late at night.

A small conclusion

Now you know who the flyer is, or an ordinary flyer, as it is also called. As you can see, this is a very interesting animal with a delightful appearance. We hope that the information presented in the article has helped you to understand in detail what kind of animal it is, what are its features of reproduction and behavior.