Images attached to GBIF records (field photographs), from . Open licences; click for the record.
Siberian Flying Squirrel
Pteromys volans (Linnaeus, 1758)
Also calledArdilla Voladora Europea (spa) · Ardilla voladora (spa) · Ardilla voladora siberiana (spa) · Esquilo-voador (por) · Esquilo-voador-siberiano (por) · Esquirol volador siberià (cat) · Eurasisk Flygeekorn (nob) · Europar katagorri hegalari (eus) · Europese Vliegende Eekhoorn (nld) · Europäisches Flughörnchen (deu) · Europäisches Gleithörnchen (deu) · Evropska poletuša (slv) · Flughörnchen (deu) · Flygeekorn (nor)
First described in: Syst. Nat., 10th ed. vol.1 p.64
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. In Latvia, it was last sighted in 2001 and has been considered to be locally extinct since 2013.
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
activity
Activity patterns. Siberian Flying Squirrels are generally nocturnal, but activity peaks vary with the light / dark cycle. It might be active periodically, for up to nine hours; it can also be active during the day when daylength is long, despite lacking color vision found in diurnal sciurids.
Sciuridae
biology_ecology
Habitat. Mature boreal closed-canopy forests and particularly dependent on primary trees. The Siberian Flying Squirrel is sensitive to logging and severe forest fragmentation. Various studies suggest, however, that maintenance of well-connected habitat patches that meetits requirements allow it to persist in a landscape managed for timber harvests. The Siberian Flying Squirrel prefers mixed continuous forests, with old conifers (e. g. Norway spruce, Picea abies, Pinaceae) and numerous deciduous trees such as European aspen (Populus tremula, Salicaceae); deciduous trees provide critical nest cavities. Preference for spruce over pine (Pinus, Pinaceae) is also reported. In Finland, it is dependent on mixed forests that are dominated by spruce. Probability of local extinction of the Siberian Flying Squirrel increases as spruce in its habitat declines. Increased forest fragmentation has also contributed to its decline; however, it can reside in fragmented systems and move reasonably well between forest fragments if adequate corridors of vegetation exist and suitable habitat components (e. g. spruce) are available in the matrix. Its use of habitat edges varies with type of edges, overall
Sciuridae
biology_ecology
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Male home ranges vary with landscape structure (20 - 135 ha). Female home ranges are much smaller (c. 8 ha). They nest in cavities, abandoned woodpecker holes, or nest boxes. The Siberian Flying Squirrel is unique in that it shows female-biased juvenile dispersal, which is best explained by competition between mothers and daughters for limited resources. Mortality ofjuveniles appears to be highest before dispersal. It is reported to glide slowly (5 - 7 m / sec) but exhibit considerable maneuverability because ofits low-wing loading.
Sciuridae
breeding
Breeding. Reproduction of Siberian Flying Squirrels occurs in late February-March and April-May. It is estimated that one-third of females in Finland breed twice annually, whereas those in other parts of the distribution (e. g. Russia) may only breed once annually, unless a female loses a litter. Gestation lasts 40 - 42 days; litters are typically 2 - 3 young (range 1 - 6). Young follow their mothers during foraging bouts.
Sciuridae
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
A female Siberian flying squirrel weighs about 150 g (5.3 oz), the males being slightly smaller on average. The body is 13–20 cm (5.1–7.9 in) long, with a 9–14 cm (3.5–5.5 in) 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.
Range & habitat
The nominate subspecies, P. v. volans is widespread across the Palearctic realm, specifically in Northern Europe, Siberia and East Asia, while other subspecies have limited distribution, with P. v. athene in Sakhalin, P. v. buechneri in China and P. v. orii in Hokkaido.
What it does
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.
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. In Estonia, the Siberian flying squirrel is depicted on the logo of the Estonian Nature Fund.
Where it has been recorded
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Pteromys volans in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 2437258.