Is an ultraviolet flashlight part of your camping kit? If not, you may want to get one. Scientists in Wisconsin have just discovered that flying squirrels, including two specimens from B.C., are vividly fluorescent under UV light.

Skeptical? At first, so were the colleagues of Wisconsin-based biologist Jonathan Martin, who stumbled upon the splendorous squirrels in his own backyard.

Martin told Black Press Media it all started when the world香蕉视频直播檚 first fluorescent frogs were discovered in the tropics in 2017.

Intent on finding out if the frogs in his woodsy backyard also fluoresce (they don香蕉视频直播檛), he purchased a UV flashlight.

Martin was outside with the flashlight, poking around in some of the surrounding plant life, when he heard activity at his bird feeder.

香蕉视频直播淲e have quite a few flying squirrels that come to the bird feeder and I just happened to be out there, heard it and didn香蕉视频直播檛 even think that it was a UV light in my hand,香蕉视频直播� said Martin, who instinctively turned toward the squirrels. 香蕉视频直播淚 was like, 香蕉视频直播楬oly smokes!香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈��

Under the UV light, the flying squirrels were fluorescing pink.

香蕉视频直播淭he pictures don香蕉视频直播檛 do it justice,香蕉视频直播� said Martin. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 bright pink. It香蕉视频直播檚 neon pink.香蕉视频直播�

Being a professor of forestry at Northland College in Wisconsin, or a 香蕉视频直播渢ree guy香蕉视频直播� as he says, Martin was met with some skepticism when he told his mammal-specialized colleagues about the fuchsia fur.

But at Martin香蕉视频直播檚 request, Northland natural resources professor Erik Olson took a UV flashlight along with him on a mammal trapping trip. Olson saw the ros茅 rodents, then so did Northland香蕉视频直播檚 small animal expert Paula Spaeth Anich, and soon the professors were collaborating with Allison Kohler, an undergraduate student at Northland at the time.

Did you know flying squirrels GLOW PINK in the dark? They fluoresce under UV! My colleague made the startling discovery while standing in his backyard (in pajamas) with a UV flashlight!

香蕉视频直播� Sarah Johnson (@SarahEcologist)

Kohler, who is the lead author of they published in the Journal of Mammalogy on Jan. 23, went to museums to test flying squirrel specimens for the fluorescence.

香蕉视频直播淲e saw it on virtually every specimen, so then we knew it was really something special,香蕉视频直播� Martin said.

Martin was able to confirm there were at least two Canadian squirrels of the Glaucomys sabrinus (northern flying squirrel) variety included in the database of about 130 specimens.

Based on the longitude and latitude listed in the database, two of the Canadian specimens originated from B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 Lower Mainland: One from Hope and one from Abbotsford.

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Even more interesting are the years that some of the specimens, including the Canadian ones, were collected.

香蕉视频直播淎ccording to the database, one of the specimens from B.C. was collected in 1894,香蕉视频直播� said Martin.

While the scientists who made the discovery think the fluorescence may be caused by some sort of protein in their fur, further research is needed to know for sure.

香蕉视频直播淭he next step would be to really dig into the location in the hair, the structure, the protein, as well as then the behaviour of these critters,香蕉视频直播� Martin said.

香蕉视频直播淒oes this affect their fitness or is this just an artifact, some weird thing that happens when you live a nocturnal life? We don香蕉视频直播檛 know, we don香蕉视频直播檛 know.香蕉视频直播�

karissa.gall@blackpress.ca
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