A new species of flying squirrel 200 years impersonating already known to science

Flying squirrels are not the most common animal in the world. You must admit that not every day you will see a furry animal that flies from tree to tree, spreading its “wings” like Batman. Even if you live in North America, where two species of flying squirrels live at once. At least, scientists thought so until they discovered the third species, which for two centuries has successfully impersonated itself as already known to science.

Don't believe your eyes

A new species lives in the Pacific coastal forests of North America. For a long time, these proteins were mistaken for northern squirrels, and only a recent DNA analysis showed that we are talking about a completely different species, which was called Glaucomys oregonensis, or flying Humboldt squirrels.

In the photo: flying Humboldt squirrel

How did it happen that on the Pacific coast this species peacefully fluttered from branch to branch and remained hidden from scientists who first observed northern flying squirrels in 1801? The fact is that outwardly they are quite similar. Only Humboldt flying squirrels, as a rule, are smaller and have a darker color. If the differences were more pronounced (a thicker tail or clear differences in color), scientists would have long identified this.

Planning Wizards

Western scientists have been studying flying squirrels in North America for over 250 years. In 1758, a southern flying squirrel was found and designated, which lives in the deciduous forests of eastern North America, as well as to the south in oak and pine forests in the mountainous regions of Mexico and Central America.

In the photo: Northern flying squirrel

Another species, the northern flying squirrel, was officially described in 1801, and the Humboldt flying squirrels just fell under this description. Northern flying squirrel lives in coniferous forests in most of Alaska and Canada, from where its range extends south through the large western mountain ranges of North America.

Flying squirrels are nocturnal, so people rarely see them. However, these creatures do not fly like birds or bats. Rather, they plan from tree to tree at a distance of 100 meters with the help of fur membranes. And the fluffy tail serves as an excellent steering wheel, which allows the squirrels to sharply change direction and hide. From inquisitive scientists including.