Virtual Conservation Lecture: “Surveying Humboldt’s Flying Squirrels in Our Redwood Forests”

This is the first conservation lecture in our Virtual Conservation Lecture Series 2020-2021. Join us for a virtual lecture on Zoom with Barbara Clucas from the HSU Department of Wildlife while she discusses “Surveying Humboldt’s Flying Squirrels in Our Redwood Forests”. Tune in via the link above or on Facebook LIVE @SequoiaParkZoo.

CLICK HERE FOR ZOOM LINK! The Humboldt’s flying squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis) is a newly “discovered” species of flying squirrel in North America. This species was previously thought to be part of the geographically widespread Northern flying squirrel (G. sabrinus) but recent molecular studies show that flying squirrels in California up to Washington are a distinct species. Flying squirrels are nocturnal, cryptic animals that are ecologically important. In California and the Pacific Northwest, flying squirrels are important prey species for several species of conservation concern. They also play a role in fungus dispersal, which is important for growth in young trees and forest health. Therefore, an understanding of the ecology and behavior of the Humboldt’s flying squirrel is a key conservation issue in northern California. Flying squirrels are also very unique species – they glide through the forest using specialized morphology, produce ultrasonic vocalizations (like bats), and their fur even glows under ultraviolet light! This presentation will cover current research on the species in Humboldt County and some of these unique aspects of the species.

Dr. Barbara Clucas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Wildlife at Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. She received her Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from the University of California, Davis and conducted her postdoctoral work at the University of Washington in Seattle and Humboldt-Universität in Berlin, Germany. Her general research interests are in animal behavior, urban ecology, conservation biology, and human dimensions of wildlife biology and she has done research on vocal communication in songbirds, predator-prey interactions between ground squirrels and rattlesnakes, human-avian interactions in urban areas, and more recently the behavior and ecology of tree squirrels and flying squirrels. Her research focuses on interspecific interactions and how species can adapt and survive in human-modified environments, as well as how we can conserve biodiversity in urban areas.

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Join us on Zoom at 6:45pm for Zoo updates before the lecture begins at 7pm.

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86225621519?pwd=L1duWlJaaStSVVM3ZWJhNmttZXdKZz09

Meeting ID: 862 2562 1519

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