Researchers discover prehistoric giant flying squirrel

A giant flying squirrel, roughly the size of a house cat, once soared through the forests of what is now Southern Appalachia.

Gliding above mastodons, rhinos, and red pandas, these agile creatures thrived millions of years ago before vanishing during the Ice Ages. Now, a fossil discovery in Tennessee sheds new light on their unexpected journey into North America.

The discovery comes from the Gray Fossil Site, a prehistoric treasure trove unearthed 25 years ago. This latest find confirms the presence of Miopetaurista, a genus of giant flying squirrels previously thought to be exclusive to Eurasia.

“Finding Miopetaurista in North America was quite unexpected as this genus is only known from Eurasia,” said Dr. Isaac Casanovas-Vilar from the Institut Català de Paleontologia in Barcelona, Spain. “There had been some uncertain reports from Florida, but the specimen of the Gray Fossil Site provided new information and helped to confirm that somehow these giant flying squirrels crossed the Bering Land Bridge alongside other mammals about 5 million years ago.”

The fossil, dating back to the Early Pliocene, represents the oldest confirmed record of Miopetaurista in North America. The finding aligns with two earlier specimens from Florida that had been tentatively linked to the genus. With this new evidence, researchers believe the species, Miopetaurista webbi, likely originated in Eurasia before dispersing into North America.

Millions of years ago, the Appalachian region was vastly different. The climate was significantly warmer, with dense, humid forests stretching across what is now Tennessee. This environment provided the perfect conditions for giant flying squirrels, which weighed around three pounds and were remarkably agile in the treetops.

Today’s Appalachian squirrels might look similar, but their closest relatives are the modern giant flying squirrels found in Japan, China, and Indonesia. Unlike their North American cousins, these species survived climatic changes that proved devastating for Miopetaurista.

“As the climate cooled over time, the Pleistocene Ice Ages led to the isolation of these giant flying squirrels in warmer refuges like Florida, and ultimately contributed to their extinction,” said Montserrat Grau-Camats, a researcher on the study. “The last American Miopetaurista lived millions of years after all Eurasian species of this genus had disappeared, meaning at the time they were ‘living fossils.’”

The presence of Miopetaurista in North America raises intriguing questions about prehistoric animal migrations. These flying squirrels likely arrived via the Bering Land Bridge, a passage that connected Asia and North America when sea levels were lower. During the Early Pliocene, global temperatures were high, allowing many species to migrate between the continents.

Scientists believe that as temperatures dropped, these squirrels were pushed into isolated pockets of warm forest, with Florida acting as one of their final refuges. However, continued cooling during the Pleistocene likely contributed to their extinction, making them one of the many species lost to the shifting climate.

This finding joins a growing body of evidence showing that the Gray Fossil Site preserves a unique window into a prehistoric world. Other remarkable discoveries from the site include ancient red pandas, mastodons, and even a bone-crushing dog.

The Gray Fossil Site, managed by the Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology at East Tennessee State University, continues to unearth fossils that reshape our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems.

“It is amazing to imagine these giant flying squirrels gliding over rhinos and mastodons living in the forests of Tennessee 5 million years ago,” said Dr. Joshua Samuels of ETSU’s Department of Geosciences. “This really points to the potential of the Gray Fossil Site to keep surprising us after 25 years.”

While Miopetaurista no longer soars through North American forests, its fossilized remains provide a glimpse into an era when giant mammals and ancient squirrels coexisted in a lost world. As research continues, paleontologists expect even more discoveries that will help piece together the complex history of life on the continent.

Note: Materials provided above by The Brighter Side of News. Content may be edited for style and length.

Like these kind of feel good stories? Get The Brighter Side of News' newsletter.