Southern flying squirrel : North Carolina wildlife profiles

NORTH CAROLINA RESOURCES COMMISSION Southern Flying Squirrel North Carolina Wildlife Profiles Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) This diminutive rodent with the big saucerlike eyes is probably the most common mammal never seen by humans in North Carolina. It occupies habitat similar to that of the gray squirrel and, to a lesser extent, the fox squirrel, yet because it is a noctur nal species, it is not seen as often as the other two. It is truly arboreal, gliding from tree to tree on folds of outstretched skin. Description The southern flying squirrel is smaller than its northern cousin and ranks as the smallest of the state’s five tree squirrel species, which include the red squirrel, fox squirrel and gray squirrel. It weighs no more than 2 or 3 oz. and measures from 8 1/2 in. to 97/8 in., including a 3- to 4 inch-long tail. Its fur is a lustrous light brown or and its belly is a creamy white. This squirrel’s most distinctive feature is the patagium, a cape of loose skin that stretches from its wrists to its ankles and forms the membrane on which it glides. The patagium is bordered in black. When the squirrel stretches its legs to their fullest extent, the patagium opens and supports the animal on glides of considerable distance. During surveys, biologists use the southern flying squirrel’s shorter head to tail length, shorter hind foot length (<33mm), and uniform creamy- white belly hair coloring to distinguish it from the rarer Carolina northern living squirrel, which is larger overall and has bicolored belly hairs. Flying squirrels produce a birdlike chirping sound. Some of their vocalizations are not audible to the human ear. History and Status ca The southern flying squirrel is one of two flying squirrels found in North Amen- the other one is the northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus). Thirty-five spe¬ cies of flying squirrels in the family Sciuridae exist worldwide, most of them in Asian countries. Both southern and northern flying squirrels are found in North Carolina, although the northern flying squirrel is rare, occurring at higher elevations on only nine massifs (mountain ridges) in the western part of the state. Flying squirrels are a nongame species, but only the Carolina northern flying squirrel is listed as an endan¬ gered species by the federal government. Habitats & Habits Southern flying squirrels live in hardwood and mixed pine-hardwood forests. They require older trees with cavities for roosting and nesting, and in winter readily roost together in surprisingly large numbers. Tree cavities have been found with as many as 50 roosting squirrels. Because of their need for tree cavities for habitat, they are a natural competitor for woodpecker’s homes. Flying squirrels prefer cavities with en trances from 11/2 to 2 in. in diameter but will also customize holes to fit. In Sandhills The southern flying squirrel is the smallest tree squirrel in North Carolina. Southern flying squirrel (Photo by Amy Young) The southern flying squirrel's creamy-white belly distinguishes it from the rarer and larger Carolina northern flying squirrel , which has bicolored belly hairs. (Photo by Chris Kelly) Range and Distribution The southern flying squirrel is found throughout North Carolina, in urban areas as well as in forests, in the lowlands of the Coastal Plain and at elevations up to 4,500- 5,000 feet. It ranges along the East Coast, north into southwestern Ontario and south into Mexico. Its close kin, the northern flying squirrel, roams throughout Canada, down into some of our northern states and along the Appalachian spine. Range Map Squirrel Range