Researchers have identified a giant flying squirrel fossil from a cache of unusual animal remains dug out of an ancient sinkhole in Tennessee 25 years ago. The fossil sheds light on how flying squirrels reached North America.

A prehistoric giant flying squirrel once glided over ancient Appalachia but went extinct as the climate cooled. Its fossils, found at the Gray Fossil Site, reveal a surprising connection to Eurasian species.

Researchers at theGray Fossil Site and Museum in northeastern Tennessee, have recently uncovered the remains of a 4.9-million-year-old giant flying squirrel (Miopetaurista webbi). The site, which has already yielded an impressive range of prehistoric creatures,