Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Euarchontoglires
Ordo: Rodentiaa
Subordo: Sciuromorpha
Familia: Sciuridae
Subfamilia: Sciurinae
Tribus: Pteromyini
Genus: Pteromys
Species: Pteromys volans
Subspecies: P. v. athene – P. v. buechneri – P. v. orii – P. v. volans
Name
Pteromys volans (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type material: Unknown.
Type locality: “in borealibus Europae, Asiae, et Americae”, restricte to “Finland”, by Thomas (1911: 149).
Combinations
Sciurus volans Linnaeus, 1758: 64 [original combination]
References
Primary references
Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio Decima, Reformata. Tomus I. Holmiæ (Stockholm): impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. 824 pp. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542 BHL Reference page.
Thomas, O. 1911. The Mammals of the Tenth Edition of Linnaeus; an Attempt to fix the Types of the Genera and the exact Bases and Localities of the Species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 81(1): 120–158. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1911.tb06995.x BHL Reference page.
Links
IUCN: Pteromys volans (Least Concern)
Vernacular names
Afrikaans: Siberiese vlieënde eekhoring
العربية: سنجاب طائر سيبيري
Atikamekw: Panackatowew
башҡортса: Осар тейен
беларуская (тарашкевіца): Палятуха звычайная
беларуская: Палятуха звычайная
български: Обикновена летяща катерица
brezhoneg: Gwiñver-nij Sibiria
català: Esquirol volador siberià
čeština: Poletuška slovanská
Deutsch: Europäisches Gleithörnchen
English: Siberian Flying Squirrel
español: Ardilla voladora siberiana
eesti: Lendorav
euskara: Europar katagorri hegalari
فارسی: سنجاب پرنده سیبریایی
võro: Lindorrav
suomi: Liito-orava
français: Polatouche de Sibérie
Frysk: Gewoan fleanend iikhoarntsje
Gaeilge: Iora eitilte
magyar: Orosz sutaszárnyúmókus
italiano: Scoiattolo volante siberiano
日本語: タイリクモモンガ
қазақша: Ұшатын тиін
перем коми: Паль ур
한국어: 하늘다람쥐
lietuvių: Voverė skraiduolė
latviešu: Lidvāvere
Nederlands: Gewone vliegende eekhoorn
norsk: Eurasisk flygeekorn
polski: Polatucha syberyjska
پنجابی: سائیبیری وڈا اڈنا گالڑ
română: Veveriță zburătoare siberiană
русский: Обыкновенная летяга
саха тыла: Нэтээги
slovenčina: Poletuška slovanská
slovenščina: Evropska poletuša
svenska: Flygekorre
ไทย: กระรอกบินไซบีเรียน
українська: Політуха сибірська
Tiếng Việt: Sóc bay Siberia
中文: 小飞鼠
The Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans) is an Old World flying squirrel ranging from the Baltic Sea in the west, throughout Northern Asia to the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the east. It is the only species of flying squirrel in Europe and is considered vulnerable in the European Union where it occurs only in Estonia and Finland.[2] In Latvia, it was last sighted in 2001 and has been considered to be locally extinct since 2013.[3]
Description
A female Siberian flying squirrel weighs about 150 grams, the males being slightly smaller on average. The body is 13–20 cm long, with a 9–14 cm long flattened tail. The eyes are large and strikingly black. The coat is grey all over, the abdomen being slightly lighter than the back, with a black stripe between the neck and the forelimb. A distinctive feature of flying squirrels is the furry glide membrane or patagium, a flap of skin that stretches between the front and rear legs. By spreading this membrane the flying squirrel may glide from tree to tree across distances of over a hundred meters, and have been known to record a glide ratio of 3.31, but is normally 1-1.5.[4]
Behavior
Diet
Its diet consists of leaves, seeds, cones, buds, sprouts, nuts and berries.[5][6] Local hunters claim that they occasionally eat bird eggs and nestlings, however, there is no evidence of this behavior.[5] When alder and birch catkins are plentiful, the squirrel may store them for the winter in old woodpecker holes or similar nooks.[citation needed]
Siberian flying squirrel in the forest
Reproduction
They mate early in the spring. In southern Finland the first mating season begins in late March, with a second mating season occurring in April. After a gestation period of five weeks, the female gives birth to a litter of usually two or three young, each weighing about 5 grams.[7] They preferentially build their nest in holes made by woodpeckers, but they may also nest in birdhouses if the size of the entrance is appropriate. The nest consists of a pile of soft materials (preferably soft beard lichen) into which the squirrel burrows. They can live up to about five years.
Habitat
Feces of Siberian flying squirrel.
They favor old forests with a mix of conifers and deciduous trees. They are mostly nocturnal, being most active late in the evening, although females with young may also feed during the day. They do not hibernate, but in the winter they may sometimes sleep continuously for several days. As shy and nocturnal animals, they are seldom seen. The most common sign of their presence is their droppings, which resemble orange-yellow rice grains and are often found beneath or on top of their nest.
Predators
The squirrels are preyed upon by martens, hawks, owls, dogs and cats.
In human culture
It is the emblem of Nuuksio National Park in Espoo municipality of Finland due to the density of the population in this region.[8]
In Estonia, the Siberian flying squirrel is depicted on the logo of the Estonian Nature Fund.[9]
Threats
The Siberian flying squirrel photographed in Klaukkala, Finland, at night in 2006.
In Finland and especially the Baltic states, the Siberian flying squirrel has been at risk potentially becoming an endangered species. P. volans is already extirpated from Lithuania. Since 1996, it was also considered extinct in Belarus, until being spotted again in 2017, with more than 80 habitats subsequently discovered in far northern regions of the country in 2019.[10] Acts that are believed to be contributors to the decrease in the population size are habitat fragmentation, climate, and habitat loss in places they reside like boreal forests and old-spruce-dominated forests.[11] Because Finland is a member of the European Union, the squirrel is under the protection of the EU's 1992 Habitats Directive. The EU, Finland and Estonia have responded with a six-year, 8.9 million euro project to help protect the squirrel.[12]
References
Shar, S.; Lkhagvasuren, D.; Henttonen, H.; Maran, T. & Hanski, I. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Pteromys volans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T18702A115144995. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T18702A22270935.en. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
"Pteromys volans (Linnaeus, 1758)". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
Ikauniece, S. "Lidvāveres atstājušas Latviju". Dabas aizsardzības pārvalde (in Latvian). Retrieved 6 January 2023.
Asari, Yushin; Yanagawa, Hisashi; Oshida, Tatsuo (2007). "Gliding ability of the Siberian flying squirrel Pteromys volans orii". Mammal Study. 32 (4): 151–154. doi:10.3106/1348-6160(2007)32[151:GAOTSF]2.0.CO;2.
Pascoe, Lauren. "Pteromys volans (Siberian flying squirrel)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
裕伸, 浅利; 裕司, 山口; 久, 柳川 (2008). "野外観察によって確認されたエゾモモンガの採食物". 森林野生動物研究会誌. 33: 7–11. doi:10.18987/jjwrs.33.0_7.
Nowak, Ronald (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press. doi:10.56021/9780801857898. ISBN 978-0-8018-5789-8.
"The Flying Squirrel in Nuuksio National Park". Retrieved 31 Oct 2019.
Estonian Nature Fund – Flying squirrel (in English)
"Flying squirrel". Дзікая прырода побач (in Russian). 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
Koskimäki, Jane; Huitu, Otso; Kotiaho, Janne S.; Lampila, Satu; Mäkelä, Antero; Sulkava, Risto; Mönkkönen, Mikko (2013). "Are habitat loss, predation risk and climate related to the drastic decline in a Siberian flying squirrel population? A 15-year study". Population Ecology. 56 (2): 341–348. doi:10.1007/s10144-013-0411-4. S2CID 15765204.
Roberts, W. S. (2022-01-10). "A forest of contradictions: Protecting the Siberian flying squirrel". The Independent. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
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