Do Flying Squirrels Really Fly?

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Flying squirrels have been given a rather deceptive name, because they don’t actually fly at all. Not in the same sense that birds or bats fly, at least, although these incorrectly-named critters are often confused with the latter. Flying squirrels should actually have been given the name “gliding squirrels”, because that’s what they do. It might look as though they are flying, but they’re gliding through the air.



Flying squirrels have a membrane, technically known as the patagium. With enough of a run-up, the squirrel can simply hop off a branch, open it’s limbs to flatten out the patagium, and use it to glide gently down. It’s very much like a parachute jumper using the material to glide around in the air, before then using the same material to bring the return to earth slightly less bumpy … and painful.

They have pretty impeccable gliding skills, not only being able to use that membrane to move around in the desired directions, but being able to circle around, even being able to glide around trees. When it comes to landing, they point forwards, creating almost a bowl-shaped parachute form, using their flattened tail raised-up to help slow things down too. It sounds complex, but to the animal, it’s a very simple process that happens in the blink of an eye for us humans. They’re pretty good at hitting their directed targets, but despite being relatively graceful up in the air, they’re useless on the ground. They clamber around in a very clumsy fashion.

Go back to the Flying Squirrel Removal page, or learn tips to do it yourself with my How to Get Rid of Flying Squirrels guide.

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