Scientists have discovered a giant flying squirrel that once glided through the forests of what is now Southern Appalachia.
This prehistoric squirrel, about the size of a house cat, lived around 5 million years ago and shared its home with ancient animals like rhinos, mastodons, and red pandas.
The discovery comes from the Gray Fossil Site and Museum in Tennessee, a rich fossil deposit that has been revealing secrets about prehistoric life for the past 25 years.
A team of researchers, including Montserrat Grau-Camats and Dr. Isaac Casanovas-Vilar from the Institut Català de Paleontologia in Spain, as well as Dr. Joshua Samuels from East Tennessee State University and researcher Cheyenne Crowe, recently published their findings in the Journal of Mammalian Evolution.
The researchers identified the squirrel as part of the Miopetaurista genus, which was previously known only from fossils in Europe and Asia.
Scientists had suspected that this type of squirrel may have lived in North America, based on a few uncertain fossil records in Florida.
However, the well-preserved remains found at the Gray Fossil Site confirm that these giant gliders did, in fact, make their way to the continent.
“Finding Miopetaurista in North America was quite unexpected,” said Dr. Casanovas-Vilar. “These squirrels likely crossed into North America from Asia using the Bering Land Bridge, along with other mammals, when the climate was much warmer.”
Although modern-day Appalachians might compare these creatures to today’s squirrels, their closest relatives are actually the giant flying squirrels found in Japan, China, and Indonesia.
The ancient flying squirrels were lightweight, weighing about three pounds, and were extremely agile in the treetops, using their ability to glide to escape predators and search for food.
When these squirrels arrived in what is now Tennessee, the climate was warm and humid, providing the perfect environment for them to thrive in dense forests. However, as the Ice Ages began and the Earth cooled, their habitat changed dramatically.
“The Pleistocene Ice Ages caused major shifts in climate, isolating these squirrels in warmer places like Florida,” explained Grau-Camats. “Eventually, they disappeared from North America altogether, even though they survived for millions of years longer than their Eurasian relatives.”
The Gray Fossil Site, overseen by the Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology at East Tennessee State University, continues to reveal fascinating prehistoric discoveries. The giant flying squirrel is just the latest in a series of exciting finds, including a bone-crushing dog that once lived in the region.
“It’s incredible to imagine these giant flying squirrels gliding through ancient forests filled with rhinos and mastodons,” said Dr. Samuels. “Even after 25 years, the Gray Fossil Site keeps surprising us, showing that we still have so much to learn about the past.”
Source: KSR.
