by Youssef
Did you know that the flying squirrel doesn’t really fly? It glides! This amazing endangered animal is brown and creamy white. It is 12 inches long and weighs 5-6 grams. When these nocturnal creatures are born, they are deaf and blind. These hairless tiny creatures have rounded ears, whiskers, and big black eyes.
If you ever see a female flying squirrel, stay away because they are very territorial. It can glide more than 100 feet high through the air. They also have excellent hearing. They can hear from miles away! These rodents eat fruits, vegetables, dried grass and birds’ eggs.
They live in Western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and south western Virginia. They look for nice calm ever green trees so they can make their home in birds’ nests or hollow trees.
These beautiful creatures used to be big but due to the cold weather it has caused them to shrink. Man has also disturbed their habitat by building ski resorts, logging in their environment and as they get smaller areas to live in they have to compete with each other for survival. Their predator, the great horned owl is also causing their numbers to decrease.
These creatures will become extinct if you don’t help because this amazing endangered animal is losing its homes and food right at this very moment. So if you really care about this animal you can donate to the N.C. (North Carolina) Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund. In addition you can learn more about the efforts that are being done in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Western Virginia to save the North Carolina Flying Squirrel.