Flying Squirrel
Liito-orava
The flying squirrel used to be quite common some 50 years ago but has during the past time become nearly extinct. The main reason is that there have been great changes in the forest environment. Old forests have disapered, forest is more of the same age and pure mono-cultures is being grown. As a result of that the living environment for the flying squirrel has become more and more narrow. Today the squirrel is an endangered species. Finland is the only country in EU where the flying squirrel is living. The flying squirrel is also living in the eastern parts of Estonia and in Russia. According to the Finnish law the habitat and the breeding sites of the flying squirrel is under protection due to the Nature Conservation Law 49 §. However, this protection is not enouge as their living environments are continously being destroyed.
The flying squirrel is a mysterious animal, living in mixed old forests. The Aspen, Birch and Alnus are most important trees for it. Information about the living habitat of the flying squirrel is often lacking or insufficient. This is much due to the fact that the animal moves outside its nest in the twilight, early mornings and late evenings. It is usually very difficult to see this nearly soundless animal as it is hiding itself in the woods. However, it is possible to see the flying squirrel in the middle of the day in March-April. Then it is jumping from one tree to another several times, even ten times according to the same rutes. This is a part of its mating dance. A sucking female is also looking for food in the middle of the day. Usually it is eating in the top of a garden birch, aspen, alnus or rowan. The flying squirrel can easily be recogniced due to its excrements, yellow-brown with the size of rice. You find them close to the rooth of a large spruce or aspen. The flying squirrel is marking its living habitat by its excrements and urine. The flying squirrel likes to live in a forest with trees of different age and mixed spieces. It may hide in the shadow of large, old spruce branches for predatory animals and birds. The most important trees for nutrients is aspen and birch. It is nesting in an old aspen if possible. As already mentione there are very few of these kind of forests left in Finland. As it is not able to find old trees with natural wholes it nests in nesting boxes, old wood-pecker nests, old brown squirrel nests or build its nest in buildings attics. In the economically grown forests the trees are so far from each other that the flying squirrel often gets eaten by an owel. The female gives born to young ones once or twice a year. The first is born in April-May, the second in June-July. Usually there are two or three young ones, seldom one or four.
Take a look at a picture of the Flying squirrel at the following address
