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You are here: Home / Animals / How Did Flying Squirrels Get Their Name and How Far Can a Flying Squirrel Fly?

How Did Flying Squirrels Get Their Name and How Far Can a Flying Squirrel Fly?

July 17, 2020 by Karen Hill

Flying squirrels are a family of 44 species of squirrels that can glide between trees using a parachute-like membrane that stretches from wrist to ankle.

How Did Flying Squirrels Get Their Name

As you may have guessed, they got their name from the way they glide from tree to tree.

The higher they start, the farther flying squirrels can fly before they hit the ground.

The American flying squirrel has logged flights of 150 feet or more.

However, the giant flying squirrel of Asia, measuring four feet instead of the nine to fourteen inches of its American cousin, can glide about ten times farther-1,500 feet, which is more than a quarter of a mile.

Related Facts

  • How Does a Flying Squirrel Fly and Where Do Flying Squirrels Come From?
  • Where Do Squirrels Build Their Nests and Do Tree Squirrels Hibernate In Their Nests?
  • How Do Squirrels Find Their Way Back To Their Nests and Do Squirrels Have a Homing Instinct?
  • Why Do Flying Fish Fly and Do Flying Fish Fly To Help Them Find Food, Escape Predators, or Because They Can?
  • Can a Flying Squirrel Really Fly?
  • Is The Flying Phalanger The Same As A Flying Squirrel?

Filed Under: Animals

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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