Can anyone explain how Flying Squirrels evolved?

Question

I can see how birds evolved, but what was the mechanics of something that just wanted some flappy skin so it could glide further? Do you think they will be birds in 100000's of years?

I don't want to fly, just glide a little.

Answer 1

The great thing about flying squirrels is that they are an excellent example of a transitional form.

Creationists often ask "what use is half a wing", hoping to prove that a creature couldn't evolve a wing as it would be useless for the thousands of generations before it became fully-formed. But flying squirrels are the counter-example - the flap of skin they use to glide with isn't a fully-formed wing, and yet it is useful for the squirrel.

To address your question, it's important to realise that it doesn't make sense to say something "wanted" anything. Evolution has no aim and no foresight. It simply acts on what happens.

In the case of the flying squirrels, to understand how they evolved you just have to think of normal squirrels leaping from tree to tree. Occasionally a squirrel is born with slightly more skin under its arms - probably it was hardly noticeable. And yet this tiny bit of skin gave the squirrel a very small advantage when leaping - it meant it could leap that bit further, or if it fell it was able to slow its descent just a tiny bit. And this was enough for squirrels with the extra skin to find a bit more food, or escape from predators a bit more easily. And that's all evolution requires - just a tiny advantage relative to the rest of the population.

So the squirrel with the extra skin reproduced, and its descendants were more successful than everyone else. Occasionally some of these descendants were themselves born with a bit more skin - and this made them in turn even more successful. And so on. Eventually we got the flying squirrels we have today.

It's impossible to predict what will happen in the future, but potentially the squirrels will continue to evolve in this way and develop true flight - in which case future scientists could look back at our squirrels and say that they were a transitional form. They won't be birds of course, since birds aren't descended from mammals. Maybe they will be more similar to bats - but they won't actually be bats, since we already have bats and they aren't descended from squirrels. They will be something new.

Answer 2

I'm not sure if you want a creationists point of view (take my input with a grain of salt), but most creationists agree flying squirrels didn't evolve, but had the genetic code to produce skin flaps already in their DNA, it just had to be naturally selected out when and where it would be more beneficial.

Creationists don't think genetics can be messed with randomly to produce beneficial mutations that add to the genetics code. It's just too improbable. Some beneficial mutations occur! But the creatures always lose DNA, not gain DNA, when it happens.

We therefore don't think animals will evolve into new kinds of animals. So a squirrel may be naturally selected (with DNA it already has) to have even more folds of skin, but we don't think it will evolve bat like wings, or other flying animal characteristics.

If you'd like to know any other reasons why I think evolution is not adequate to explain the diversity of life, please ask away.

Answer 3

Thank you Lord, finally someone who understands Evolution.
Well done Daniel R.
To add just a sentence or two.....
I would like to point out the importance of choosing a successful mate. In that all the good genes are more likely to accumulate in a beneficially changed animal.
And that those changes would be more likely (genetically) in that animals offspring.

Answer 4

squirrels migrated to a region were the trees were very tall the ones that fell or had climb up and down huge trees with little or no nuts probably died were as the ones that mutated to have flaps of skin did not have to waste valuable energy scurrying down large trees and going up another and would not fall as quickly or directly as the others.

just a guess

Answer 5

Check out flyingsquirrels.com Cute little things - look like bats when flying.

Answer 6

Industrial revolution? I mean you'd learn to fly PDQ if someone was cuttin down ya tree now wouldn't ya. lol

Sorry couldn't resist, good question.