Getting to Know Your Mammals: Southern Flying Squirrel

Imagine a tiny creature silently gliding through the forest under the cover of darkness, moving effortlessly from tree to tree. Meet the southern flying squirrel, an animal known for its amazing gliding skills and nimble maneuvers through the treetops.

The southern flying squirrel is one of two flying squirrels found in North America and the smallest of the five tree squirrels found in the Southeast. Their range extends from southeastern Canada through the eastern United States and into Central America. Weighing only 2 to 3 ounces, these little squirrels measure 8.5 to10 inches in length, including a 3 to 4-inch tail. Their fur is a soft light brown on top and creamy white underneath. But their most distinctive feature is the patagium—a loose flap of skin that stretches from the wrists to the ankles. The patagium allows the squirrels to glide from tree to tree, making it appear as if they are flying.

Habitat 

Although southern flying squirrels can adapt to urban and suburban areas, they thrive in hardwood and mixed pine-hardwood forests. They use older trees with cavities for nesting and roosting. This makes them a natural competitor for woodpecker’s homes. During colder months, the squirrels often nest in groups, sometimes with up to 50 squirrels sharing a tree cavity to conserve body heat.

Diet 

Southern flying squirrels are opportunistic omnivores. This means they eat a varied diet from both plant and animal sources, especially ones that are easy to find. They spend time foraging on the ground gathering acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, and large seeds. In late summer, they begin storing them in their nests, underground, and in and around trees, using them later as part of their winter diet. Also in the summer, they eat fruits, berries, fungi, flower buds, and even insects or bird eggs. Occasionally, they scavenge for carrion or raid bird feeders.

Movement

The southern flying squirrel is usually hard to spot in the wild. Although they forage on the ground, the squirrels spend most of their time in trees. And they are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night.

Like other squirrels, the southern flying squirrel can hop from branch to branch. But the patagium allows it to also glide from tree to tree, not so much “flying” as “parachuting”. To travel around its home range, it climbs to the top of a tree and jumps, gliding downward at an angle of about 30 degrees. By contracting the muscles in its wrists and ankles, it changes the tension on the patagium, allowing it to maneuver around branches and other obstacles.

The southern flying squirrels can cover distances of 30 feet in a single glide. It can glide up to 80 feet from higher perches. On a long journey, it repeatedly climbs and glide until it reaches its destination. By uses its tail as a rudder, it can turn suddenly, even at a 90-degree angle.

The squirrel lands hind feet first. Thick pads on its feet help cushion the shock of the impact. As soon as it grasps the bark with its sharp claws, it quickly scurries to the opposite side of the tree to avoid predators. Its primary predators include owls, hawks, raccoons, foxes, and snakes.

Reproduction

Southern flying squirrels breed twice a year, typically in late winter and midsummer. After 40 days, the females give birth to litters of two to three young, called pups or kits. The pups are born blind and hairless and weigh less than ¼ of an ounce. But by 8 weeks, they are covered in fur and ready to start gliding. They stay with their mother until her next litter, and they are fully grown at one year old. Although these squirrels rarely live more than five years in the wild, but they can live up to 15 years in captivity.

Learn More

Want to find out more about the southern flying squirrel? Watch the video below, and check out these great sites: 

National Park Service 

National Wildlife Federation

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission