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Scientists discovered a flying pink squirrel
You've heard of flying squirrels. But hot-pink flying squirrels? Someone get Pixar on the line.
A new study in the Journal of Mammology describes how the North American flying squirrel, or Glaucomys, fluoresces pink at night. The researchers can't say for sure why, but communication and camouflage top their list of theories. Squirrel discos do not appear to be a possibility.
The hot-pink find came about by chance.
In the spring of 2017, Jon Martin, a professor in the forestry department at Wisconsin's Northland College, was scanning his backyard with an ultraviolet flashlight to see which lichens, mosses and plants fluoresced. That's when he spotted a flying squirrel, and noticed it glowed hot pink under the ultraviolet light.
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Sunday February 10 2019, @02:01AM
Until someone can come up with a reason why it would develop fluorescence naturally I can't help but wonder if it is the result of some "art project" that escaped years ago and interbred with the wild population that it's creators didn't want to admit to.
Anyone else remember the "glow in the dark"* fish [glofish.com](as pets), rabbits [wikipedia.org] (For art!), and cats [scientificamerican.com] (at least these were "for science!").
Of course there are many corals that have always glowed in the dark because they evolved that way, but corals and jelly fish are from a different evolutionary branch than mammals. I would like to think this squirrel is the same, it just happened that way, Hells, maybe naturally GITD animals are more common than anyone thought. Time to break out the portable UV spot lights and go see what we can find.
*actually they just fluoresce under blue or UV light
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."