Marika is a sixth grader at Forest Park Schools. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She likes to read, play the piano, rollerblade, kayak and cross-country ski. She lives near Crystal Falls, Michigan, with her family. She would like to be a doctor when she grows up. Marika is often on the honor roll. Her favorite subjects in school are math and spelling. Her favorite music is Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, and Savage Garden. She is 11 years old. She enjoys traveling and has gone out West, to Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Santa Rosa Island in Florida. Her favorite foods are scalloped potatoes and ham and ice cream. Her mother and sister have gone to Europe. Marika has three brothers and one sister. She would like to go to college at the University of Michigan or Grand Valley. She lives in the woods. Her favorite movies are Titanic and Godzilla. She plays the piano and French horn. Her dream vacation is to go to Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, and Russia.

Physical Description: The physical description of the flying squirrel is very noticeable. It's about 11 inches long including a 3 to 4 inch tail. It weigh about 4 oz (1/4 of a pound). Its color is sandy brown with a white belly, it has dense soft fur. The flying squirrel has a noticeable fold of skin between the fore and hind limbs.

Diet: The flying squirrel is an omnivore. It eats seeds, fruit, nuts, insects, bird eggs, and nestling birds. They will eat some vegetation.

Habitat: Flying squirrels live in mixed (coniferous and deciduous) forests. They are tree squirrels and they are rarely active on the ground. They normally den in tree cavities. They will live in old bird nests. The home range (of the flying squirrel is 2 to 3 acres. They live in almost all of North America.

Behavior: The flying squirrel has 2 litters of babies a year. There are 2 to 6 babies per litter. The gestation period is 40 days. Babies don't open their eyes until they are 40 days old. After about 6 months the babies leave their mother. Flying squirrels are lone animals. They are active after dark (nocturnal) and they glide from tree to tree. They may be heard landing on the roof or side of a house. They can cause problems by gnawing wiring and insulation.

Predators: The biggest predator of the flying squirrel is man. Other predators include bobcats, cats, coyotes, dogs, and foxes. People hunt flying squirrels for sport, fur, and meat. Flying squirrels race for the nearest tree when a predator comes near.

Those are all the basic facts about flying squirrels. I hope you learned a lot of interesting things.

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