Two Truths, One Lie

By MDC | November 1, 2025
From Xplor: November/December 2025
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Which fascinating fact is actually a fib?

  1. With a lofty launch site and a strong tailwind, a flying squirrel can glide nearly 200 feet — about as far as five school buses parked end-to-end.
  2. Under ultraviolet light — which humans can’t see but many other animals can — a flying squirrel’s belly fur glows as pink as radioactive cotton candy.
  3. Flying squirrels pack on fat to insulate themselves against winter’s chill. Males nearly double their weight, which makes them too heavy to glide.
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3 (Flying squirrels gain little weight during winter and are able to glide year-round.)

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Sometimes nature is, well, weird. Here’s a look at some of Missouri’s animal oddities that might leave you scratching your head.

This Issue's Staff

Artist – Matt Byrde
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Designer – Marci Porter
Art Director – Ben Nickelson
Editor – Matt Seek
Subscriptions – Marcia Hale
Magazine Manager – Stephanie Thurber