Urban Safari

Visiting New York City? Why bother with the crowds at the Statue of Liberty when you could spend your vacation hunting down flying squirrels in Queens!

New York Magazine has just published an excellent field guide to the unexpected animal species that roam the New York area. (Though they fail to offer any advice when it comes to spotting the dreaded sewer alligator or the loathsome wharf rat.) Here's a brief excerpt . . .

FLYING SQUIRREL
Species: Native
City habitat: Queens

Yes, they really do exist, but no, they don’t really fly. These small squirrels use a flap of skin between their front and back legs like a parachute to glide. Rangers have seen them at Alley Pond Park in Bayside; they won’t publicize where, so you’ll have to show up for one of their summer night hikes. Flying squirrels are nocturnal, only visible at dusk, so summer’s later sunsets are more conducive to sightings. Rumor has it that flying squirrels have also been spotted in Forest Park in Forest Hills.