Can the flying squirrels actually fly?

It would be very beautiful to have many kind of animals swirling freely on the air. But here is one that has made an exception. The flying squirrels, or why do you think they are called the flying squirrels and not the walking squirrels?

Brief history about the flying squirrels
Flying squirrels are medium-sized squirrels that tend to live in the woodland, however, this small animals tend be larger than the normal squirrels. There are two types of the flying squirrels; there are the northern flying squirrels and the southern flying squirrels. All are very closely the same and the features of each are highly non-distinguished.

Do they fly?
In truth, the flying squirrels, though the name suggests that they fly, they do not fly. What these animal do is that they will glide from one tree to another. But what makes them look like they are flying? The flying squirrels, though they do not fly, they can stay for a remarkable time in the air and they are thus said to be flying but they are not

What helps them glide?
There are very many features that all work together to catapult the flying squirrels into the air and seem like they are flying. These features are;

• The patagium.
• The tail.

These two are the main features that will help the animal get into the air and seem like it is flying.

The patagium
The patagium is a furry, stretchy membrane that will stretch from the wrist of the hand to the ankle. This forms some kind of parachute that the squirrel will then use to attain the maximum speed it wants. This membrane helps it to move a bit quicker. Also this is the membrane that the animal will use to glide from one tree to another and seem like it is flying.

The tail
The tail during the time of action doesn’t do much of the work. However, it does a very great role at ensuring the animal is in a stable condition during the time of flight. Therefore, it also plays a very vital role in as far as the animal is flying.

Conclusion
Though the animal is not actually flying, at least it looks like it is flying and that is a very special feature in as far as the flying squirrels remain. They do not fly, they glide.