“INCREDIBLE” NUMBER OF NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRRELS RECORDED AT GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN IN 2009
Surveys were conducted in February to count the number of Northern flying squirrels, a North Carolina endangered species, at Grandfather Mountain. The Mountain teamed up with representatives from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to locate and record sightings of the nocturnal animal.
Eighty-eight squirrel boxes were checked along Grandfather’s Daniel Boone Scout Trail, Profile Trail and in-park trails. A total of 26 squirrels were found in the boxes.
“It’s an incredible number,” said Grandfather Mountain Naturalist Jesse Pope. “It was by far the most squirrels I’ve ever seen while checking the boxes.”
To
do the survey, an extension ladder was taken on the trail. The ladder
was laid against the tree and the person climbing up to the box placed
a small net over the opening. Next the person tapped on the box and
if a squirrel was inside it came out of the box and into the net.
The squirrels that were found were weighed, had their back feet measured and were tagged. The tags will let researchers on future surveys know if the squirrel has been found and recorded previously, although recaptures are very slim.
Of the 26 Northern flying squirrels that were seen, 20 of them were tagged.
“We’re not exactly sure why the squirrels are using the boxes so well this year,” said Pope. “One reason might be that we didn’t do the count last year, so the squirrels have been undisturbed for two years.”
The count, previous conducted each year by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission did not occur on Grandfather in 2008 due to a lack of funding.
Pope added that the cold winter could also be contributing to the large number of squirrels inhabiting the boxes.
“Natural cavities are pretty small but the boxes are large enough that multiple squirrels can gather for heat.”
In two of the boxes surveyed, six different squirrels inhabited each of them.
The Northern flying squirrel has thick light brown or cinnamon fur on its upper body and is grayish-white underneath. A fury membrane extending between the squirrel’s front and rear legs is what allows the animal to glide through the air.
Grandfather Mountain is located in the most southern part of the squirrels’ range. This is why surveying the population on Grandfather is so important. A decrease in numbers would be a red flag that perhaps the animal’s range is getting smaller.
The Southern Flying Squirrel is very commonly found in this area and is a third smaller in size than the Northern variation. That is why measuring the back foot of the squirrels found on the trail let researchers know which flying squirrel they had found.
Surveys of Northern Flying Squirrels on Grandfather Mountain have been going on for more than 12 years. The records from these trips are allowing the NC Wildlife Resources Commission to have a better understanding of a population estimate for the animal in Western North Carolina.
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