Posted on 02/28/2005 9:59:15 AM PST by Sub-Driver
Holy flying rodents, Bullwinkle! It's a squirrel
February 28, 2005
BY GARY WISBY Environment Reporter
The Chicago area isn't Frostbite Falls, but it's home to flying squirrels.
True, they're seen even less often than Rocky, the TV version available only in reruns. But the airborne rodent hangs out in most of the area's forest preserves, says University of Illinois at Chicago squirrel expert Joel Brown.
"Any time I've looked in a large forest preserve for flying squirrels, I've seen one," Brown said.
Not even longtime area naturalist Mark Spreyer has laid eyes on one of the cruising critters. But he knows they're around and occasionally hears credible reports of sightings.
"When people tell me they've seen something small, with a square silhouette, flying around, I know it's one of these guys," said Spreyer, who operates Stillman Nature Center in Barrington.
Over Christmas break, Palatine High School senior Charlie Kilby was at Stillman straightening a birdhouse he'd hung on a tree for an Eagle Scout project. Something shot out of the box, climbed down a few feet, then ran up the tree and launched itself.
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
Sounds like a Fractured Fairy Tale to me.
A few years back my Mom was talking about seeing flying squirrels at her house at Tahoe. The neighbors didn't believe it at first, and then they saw them. There was a nest with babies and adults. But these were NOT small critters; they were three times the size of the normal grey squirrels. Big suckers.
Wow! Now THERE'S a photo I never expected. A flying squirrel INDOORS. Yikes.
Ping!
:o)
File photo from the Silver Arrow tests in the 1950's. The goal was to train squirrels to infiltrate Communist networks and steal their car keys.
Test pilot Carl Hopkins is shown shown with subject 522-A, "Mr. Snuffy". (Defense Department photo, declassified) Unfortunately Carl broke his glasses during this test.
Tom Wolfe originally devoted a chapter of The Right Stuff to Silver Arrow, but it was removed during final editing.
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