The Cutest Flying Rodent | Super Squirrel

Meet the superstar of the squirrel jumping game. When the southern flying squirrel takes off, his touchdowns are unrivaled. Biology professor Dr. John Scheibe has been captivated by flying squirrels for more than 20 years. What we're going to do now is see just exactly how well this animal can perform, how well this animal can glide, what kind of distance he can get across our athletic field. The squirrels launched in this stadium will fly, just as they do in the wild, at no risk to the animals. Their wings are flaps of skin stretched between their wrists and their ankles. Their hands and feet wiggle in opposite directions to help control their descent. A tail with feathered fur helps them change direction mid-flight. Cartilage alongside their wrists can slow them down for landing. This cartilage flares and acts like a stole tip on the wing of an airplane on a short runway. Kickoff hovers 50 feet in the air. Like the limbs of their trees, a branch serves as a runway. It's game time! It's a tough starting point coming out of the back line from high atop the back of the end zone. This is an absolutely perfect day to take a flying leap. Well, it's a big-time challenge before him. A lot of defenders, very limited options, but you know he's got a game plan. And there he goes. Let it fly. Look at that style, a picture-perfect glide hanging through the air. But wait a minute. He's hooking a right turn. Nobody expected this. He sticks the landing, goes under the fence and under the bleachers. We won't be seeing him back on the field any time soon. We have another 9 or 10 squirrels ready to go. These animals are clearly gliding, and they're actually doing better than just a regular glide. They're actually getting some pretty good distance. So I would say that they've done remarkably well. They have complete control. They can turn. They can even go 180 degrees. They can take off in one direction and land in the opposite direction. They're pretty spectacular.