por What are flying mammals?
The flying mammals They are vertebrate animals that have the ability to fly or glide because they share characteristics of mammals and at the same time have specialized wings to sustain themselves in the air.
Despite these special limbs that they use to fly or glide, they still have the main traits of mammals, such as nursing their young, having hair or fur, or being warm-blooded (staying warm even in cold climates), among others.
This type of mammal can be classified as active or passive with respect to its type of flight. If they can stay in the air by flapping their wings like birds, they are known as active.
If, on the other hand, they are only capable of gliding long distances in the air, they are known as passive.
Examples of flying mammals
bats
Bats represent 20% of the species within mammals, with a staggering 1,240 different bats.
A curious fact about these mammals is that a species of bat, called a vampire bat, can survive by feeding on blood.
Bats are not only the only flying mammals with active flight, they have also been recognized as the fastest animals in horizontal flight.
An article published on the web portal New Scientist has reviewed a study from the University of Tennessee that highlights a new record broken by bats.
In the study carried out, tracking devices were attached to a total of seven Brazilian bats, which reached an incredible speed of 160 km/h, a difference of 48 km/h compared to the old horizontal flight speed record reached by the common swift. , the fastest bird, with a mark of 112 km/h.
gliding marsupials
Marsupials are mammals whose females carry their children in a kind of bag. The most common example of a marsupial mammal is the kangaroo. However, there are gliding marsupials. Most of these species are native to Australia.
Three families of marsupials in Australia are gliders:
– Pseudocheiridaehighlighting the greater glider (petauroides volans) that not only glides but also has a weakly prehensile tail, that is, its tail is adapted for holding on to trees or grasping objects or fruit.
– Acrobatidaewhich has the smallest, mouse-sized glider: the feather tail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus), which is the only marsupial to have a tail with stiff, flattened hairs arranged like a feather to help direct its flight.
– petauridae. For example, the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) also known as the sugar glider or sugar glider, is a small animal, whose tail is almost the same length as its body. It is characterized by preferring the consumption of sugary foods.
flying squirrels
There are 35 species of squirrels that glide (Sciuridae) found in the Americas, Europe and Asia. flying squirrels (Petaurista spp.) use their tails to steer and their lateral wings make them less agile than other squirrels, so these flying squirrels are nocturnal and reserved.
The spotted giant flying squirrel (P. elegans) can grow up to 90 cm from head to tail.
Squirrels are classified as rodents and a total of 12 species of gliding rodents belonging to the family Anomaluridae are found in Africa. Their distinctive feature is their scaly tails.
Squirrels are recognized as one of the most efficient gliding animals, reaching distances of more than 200 meters in a single jump.
colugos
The colugo is often called a «flying lemur» but it does not fly and it is not a lemur. It is most closely related to bats.
This mammal, which is usually the size of a cat, is among the largest gliding mammals. It can glide more than 100 meters and lose only about 10 meters of height during its flight, spreading its membranes to form a kite and rise above the air.
Found in the forests of Southeast Asia, the colugo survives on a low-nutrition diet of leaves and flowers, so it is often inactive for long periods of time.
It feeds upside down, like a sloth. To avoid birds of prey, it is activated at sunrise or sunset.
Philippine flying fox or lemur
It is a species of the order of the colugos. It is a mammal, native to the Philippines. Its body can measure from 77 to 95 centimeters. It has a membrane known as a patagium, which connects the limbs on each side and the tail.
In addition to this structure, their fingers are joined by an interdigital membrane. In this way, the planing surface is increased. When the Philippine flying lemur launches itself from a branch, it spreads its legs. Thus, the membrane stretches, acting like a parachute.
Mouse Idiurus macrotis
The long-eared flying mouse is a species from West and Central Africa, which is also known as the flying squirrel. Actually, it is neither a mouse nor a squirrel, but a rodent that flies. Not much is known because its maintenance in captivity is difficult.
Mouse Diurus zenkeri
This flying mouse, which also looks like a squirrel, has its natural habitat in moist lowland forests. It is in danger of extinction due to the loss of its habitat.
Petaurus abidi
This flying marsupial lives in Australia, New Guinea, and other nearby islands. It is from the Petauridae family.
Petaurus gracilis
It’s called mahogany glider, and it’s also native to Australia, from coastal Queensland. Is in danger of extinction.
Petaurus norfolcensis
It is another type of flying squirrel, native to Australia. It is nocturnal. It is twice the size of the sugar glider. In captivity they do not plan.
References
Rebecca E. Hirsch (2015). Vampire Bats: Nighttime Flying Mammals. Google Books: Lerner Publications.
Charles Walsh Schwartz, Elizabeth Reeder Schwartz (2001). The Wild Mammals of Missouri. Google Books: University of Missouri Press.