How Does the Southern Flying Squirrel Adapt to Its Habitat?
How does the southern flying squirrel adapt to its habitat? Adaptation to habitat is essential for this species’ survival. This article will discuss the size of its home-range, its migration patterns, and its predators. Then, we’ll discuss its reproductive cycle. We’ll conclude by exploring the factors that have the greatest impact on its ability to adapt. To learn more about the southern flying squirrel, read on!
Table of Contents
Home-range size
Adult flying squirrels range in size from 2.2 to 14.7 ha. Most of their activities are concentrated in small patches, and the 80% core area only represents 7.8% of their 100% MCP. In contrast, home ranges of Eurasian flying squirrels are much larger than those of their North American cousins. Fridell & Litvaitis (1991) estimated 95% MCP home ranges for females and southern flying squirrels, respectively.
Males have significantly larger home ranges and 95% MCP areas than females, which were 3.6 +-1.1 ha for 100% MCP and 1.6 +-0.8 ha for 95% MCP. Although this result is not statistically significant, it was useful in defining the border of the home-range area. However, this study’s limitations are that the sample size is too small to assess the individual variation in home range size.
Migration patterns
The migration patterns of the southern flying squirrel are poorly understood, but some recent studies have shown that they differ significantly from those of other species. This may be due to the fact that the species’ kin recognition abilities are not fully understood. One possibility is that the species relies on a combination of odor, sight, and sound. Previous experiments with the Belding’s ground squirrel have shown that this species has kin preference. Furthermore, the species’ kin preferences are not fully understood, but a detailed understanding of the mechanism by which kin recognition occurs could shed light on the patterning of kin-based sociality.
A critical component of aggregation behavior is kinship. This is one of the reasons why the southern flying squirrel often aggregates during winter. However, this is not necessarily the case in the wild. Despite this, it is important to note that this species is relatively similar to many species in the wild. Hence, familiarity is a crucial factor in the aggregation formation. The results of these experiments show that the kinship and social bonding behaviors of the species are highly related to each other.
Predators
Scientists have studied the southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans, to better understand its reproductive behavior and territoriality. Their findings have been published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. Other recent studies have explored how this species responds to its habitat and how it protects itself from threats. This article explores these questions. We also look at its reproductive biology. Read on to learn more.
Although it is a fascinating species, the population of the southern flying squirrel is highly variable, and their numbers fluctuate wildly depending on the habitat. Because of their high mortality rate, this species is susceptible to a range of diseases and parasites. On average, they live less than four years in the wild. This makes conservation efforts even more important. Here are some facts about this animal’s life cycle.
Reproduction
The southern flying squirrel reproduces in two phases. It mates in early spring and again in late summer. In the spring, the female gives birth to two to seven young. The young are fed by their mother, who moves them to other locations if threatened. They are fully grown in about one year. The southern flying squirrel is a good candidate to occupy a northern range if it is moved southward.
The estimated divergence dates of tree and flying squirrels from independent phylogenetic analyses are 36.5 to 17.4 Ma, corresponding to the late Eocene-early Miocene. Previous molecular phylogenetic analyses placed the split between flying squirrels and tree squirrels near the Oligocene/Miocene boundary. Nevertheless, the estimates from total evidence analysis are slightly older than molecular analyses, and they overlap only marginally. This may be the result of different calibration points between tree and squirrel fossils.
Jessica Watson is a PHD holder from the University of Washington. She studied behavior and interaction between squirrels and has presented her research in several wildlife conferences including TWS Annual Conference in Winnipeg.
