The Elusive Flying Squirrel

They are observed mostly at night and gliding is their way of getting about from one tree to another.

Many of you may not have seen the unique creature as it is nocturnal but those of you who have seen the Grey Flying Squirrel gliding down a tree with their arms and legs stretched out would definitely rate the whole experience as a rare and an unforgettable one. 

The Grey Flying Squirrels live on trees and love eating fruits. But the cutting down of trees and the destroying of forests have resulted in loss of habitat of these elusive gliders of the night.

No proper research has been done on this rare and unique species in Sri Lanka. 

With no records of how many flying squirrels are there in existence, the danger of losing them for good has become a serious concern to environmentalists who are now in the process of finding ways to protect them and their habitats.

Surrounded by trees and paddy fields in Wellawaya, is Jetwing Kaduruketha, a hotel built on 60 acres of land and where a pair of flying squirrels can be seen. 

For the past two years these animals have made this area their home. Instead of cutting down the trees in the vicinity, hotel staff has gone that extra mile by keeping the existing mango trees and also by planting more trees to provide a suitable habitat to ensure the animal’s survival.

Large mango trees are what you will see if you were to visit the hotel. These trees were grown not for just their shade, beauty or for the fruits, but also for the benefit of flying squirrels.

Two types of flying squirrels

“There are two types of flying squirrels in Sri Lanka. They are the Small Flying Squirrel called the ‘Kuda Hambawa’ in Sinhala and the Grey Flying Squirrel called the ‘Maha Hambawa’ in Sinhala. These animals are nocturnal. 

They have the ability to glide. They climb half way up a tree and glide down. Their hind legs and front legs are connected by a type of skin. 

The specialty in this animal is that when it glides down from a tree, the skin connecting its legs act like a parachute. They like riverine forests. 

The Grey Flying Squirrel can be found in most areas of the country except the highlands and is one of the rarest mammals in Sri Lanka,” says Environmentalist at Jetwing Kaduruketha Ishanda Senevirathna who is now regularly observing the squirrels.

Senevirathna was also the first environmentalist to introduce frog watching in Sri Lanka.  

He said during the day, these animals stay in tree hollows and come out in the night, and can easily be seen as they come to eat the mango flowers and fruits during the flowering season. “The mango flowering season is April and August and this is the best time to observe these animals.

They also feed on tamarind leaves and other fruits and like tall bigger trees such as mango and jackfruit. There are no records of these flying squirrels been killed, but the loss of habitat when trees are cut down is a threat to their survival.

We have planted trees at the hotel to encourage conservation of flying squirrels. Especially mango trees and tamarind trees were planted round the hotel to conserve the Grey Flying Squirrel. 

The hotel has 60 acres out of which, 50 acres is paddy land and around 10 acres is used for the benefit of flying squirrels. The hotel is surrounded by paddy land and is bordering the Kirindi Oya,” Senevirathna explains.

He says the Grey Flying Squirrel is found breeding in Kandy but in Kaduruketha, they are yet to come across a breeding couple of flying squirrels. “The flying squirrels have been here for two years. 

I have been observing the animals for four months but haven’t seen them breeding here. We have spotted two squirrels but there could be more. From the photos taken we can identify the two grey flying squirrels. 

They have a territorial behavior, so if we spot one pair in this area, it is unlikely that others will come to that area,” Senevirathna said.

Protected under FFPO

Commenting on the protection status of the flying squirrel Environmental Lawyer Jagath Gunewardena said the Grey Flying Squirrel and the Small Flying Squirrel are protected under Section 30 of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO) and cannot be harmed or killed.

Research done on the breeding performance of the Indian Giant Flying Squirrel in central Taiwan by National Taiwan Normal University, Taichung Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, National Taiwan Normal University Department of Life Science and Taichung Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre with collaboration of many other research institutes of Taiwan says that the Giant Flying Squirrel species is very difficult to study because of their nocturnal and arboreal habits. Lack of information about the basic ecology of this species too is making studying the animal extra harder.

“We used nest boxes and radio tracking devices to collect information such as activity, home range, nesting sites and habitat selection, and the most important, the reproduction of the Indian Giant Flying Squirrels.

According to monitoring data from 2003 to 2009, the adult flying squirrel has two breeding phases in a year.

The first breeding period is from February to March and the second period is from July to August.

All observed individuals produced one young in each breeding phase, making a female giving birth to two young flying squirrels annually.

Males moved to nest boxes from surrounding areas when females were ready to breed.

Breeding extended for two weeks and a female usually mated with several males (ranging from three to five) in a season. Young flying squirrels were raised by the female only, and stayed with the female until the next breeding season arrived.

Period of staying with the female was different in length between young male and young female, young males departed earlier (when 95 days old) than females (when 185 days old),” the research paper mentions.

Food habits of flying squirrel

Research done on the food habits of the Indian Flying Squirrel in a rain forest fragment in Western Ghats state that the flying squirrels were detected by eye shine and the sound of their calls and occasionally, by their movement in the trees. 

Flashlights were used to observe the animals and during the study period (December 1999-March 2000), the diet of Indian Giant Flying Squirrels consisted chiefly of fruit and leaves, although they were seen to feed on four different plant parts.

“Although insectivory has been documented in flying squirrels, we did not record flying squirrels feeding on insects or animal matter during this study. 

Most studies of giant flying squirrels have reported them to be largely folivorous and this is the first study that reports such high consumption of fruits by giant flying squirrels.

They incorporate leaf material into their diet in times of fruit shortage. In areas disturbed by logging, squirrels have been seen to respond to reduced food availability by increasing their consumption of bark and sap,” the report states.

While much more needs to be done to study these nocturnal creatures Jetwing Kaduruketha have introduced sight-seeing tours at night where guests can observe nocturnal animals and learn about their behavior. “We have night walk tours for our guests. Guests can see not only the Grey Flying Squirrel but also frogs and other nocturnal animals.

This is a one hour tour and is popular among the European guests and Sri Lankans.

We use a red light to see the animals so no harm is caused to them and guests can observe their natural behaviour. 

We also conduct awareness programmes for school children and farmers to encourage them to protect the flying squirrels by not destroying their habitats,” Senevirathna elaborates.

By Risidra Mendis
(Picture courtesy Ishanda Senevirathna)

Source: Ceylon Today