Editing Flying squirrel (section)

==Life cycles==
[[File:Gliding flying squirrel.jpg|thumb|A southern flying squirrel (''Glaucomys volans'') gliding]]
The life expectancy of flying squirrels in the wild is about six years, and flying squirrels can live up to fifteen years in zoos. The mortality rate in young flying squirrels is high because of predators and diseases. Predators of flying squirrels include [[tree snake]]s, [[raccoon]]s, [[owl]]s, [[marten]]s, [[fisher (animal)|fisher]]s, [[coyote]]s, [[bobcat]]s, and [[feral cats]].<ref name=squirrel/> In the Pacific Northwest of North America, the [[northern spotted owl]] (''Strix occidentalis'') is a common predator of flying squirrels.

Flying squirrels are usually [[nocturnal]],<ref>{{cite journal | last=Thorington | first=R.W Jr. |author2=Pitassy, D. |author3=Jansa, S.A. |year=2002 |title=Phylogenies of Flying Squirrels (Pteromyinae) |journal=Journal of Mammalian Evolution |volume=9 |issue=1–2 |pages=99–135 |url=http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jansa003/PDFs/Thorington.etal.02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611111147/http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jansa003/PDFs/Thorington.etal.02.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-06-11 |access-date=2009-07-14 |doi=10.1023/A:1021335912016 |s2cid=12443674 }}</ref> since they are not adept at escaping birds of prey that hunt during the daytime.<ref name=squirrel/> They eat according to their environment; they are [[omnivorous]], and will eat whatever food they can find. The North American southern flying squirrel eats seeds, insects, [[gastropods]] (slugs and snails), spiders, shrubs, flowers, fungi, and tree sap.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

===Reproduction===
The mating season for flying squirrels is during February and March. When the infants are born, the female squirrels live with them in maternal nest sites. The mothers nurture and protect them until they leave the nest. The males do not participate in nurturing their offspring.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Studelska |first=Rebecca. |year=1997 |title=Northern Flying Squirrels |url=http://www.northern.edu/natsource/MAMMALS/Northe1.htm |publisher=Northern State University |access-date=2009-09-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219220147/http://www.northern.edu/natsource/MAMMALS/Northe1.htm |archive-date=February 19, 2008 }}</ref>

At birth, flying squirrels are mostly hairless, apart from their whiskers, and most of their senses are not present. Their internal organs are visible through the skin, and their sex can be signified. By week five, they are almost fully developed. At that point, they can respond to their environment and start to develop a mind of their own. Through the upcoming weeks of their lives, they practice leaping and gliding. After two and a half months, their gliding skills are perfected, they are ready to leave the nest, and they are capable of independent survival.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Patterson. |first=Robert |year=2009 |title=Life Cycle |url=http://www.flyingsquirrels.com/lifecycle.html |access-date=2009-09-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130014623/http://www.flyingsquirrels.com/lifecycle.html |archive-date=2009-01-30 }}</ref>

===Diet===
Flying squirrels can easily forage for food in the night, given their highly developed sense of smell. They harvest fruits, nuts, fungi, and birds' eggs.<ref name=squirrel/><ref>{{cite journal |last=North |first=M. |author2=Trappe, J. |author3=Franklin, J. |year=1995 |title=Standing crop and animal consumption of fungal sporocarps in Pacific Northwest forests |journal=Ecology |volume=78 |issue=5 |pages=1543–1554 |url=http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/affiliates/north/Publications/Standing%20crop%20and%20animal%20consumption%20of%20fungal.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610103643/http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/affiliates/north/Publications/Standing%20crop%20and%20animal%20consumption%20of%20fungal.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-06-10 |access-date=2009-07-14 |doi=10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[1543:SCAACO]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=86779270 }}</ref><ref name=siberian/> Many gliders have specialized diets and there is evidence to believe that gliders may be able to take advantage of scattered protein deficient food.<ref name="Byrnes 2011 991–1001">{{cite journal|last=Byrnes|first=G.|author2=A.J. Spence|title=Ecological and biomechanical insights into the evolution of gliding in mammals|journal=Integrative and Comparative Biology|year=2011|volume=51|issue=6|pages=991–1001|doi=10.1093/icb/icr069|pmid=21719434|doi-access=free}}</ref> Additionally, gliding is a fast form of locomotion and by reducing travel time between patches, they can increase the amount of foraging time.<ref name="Byrnes 2011 991–1001"/>