Animal Profile: Southern Flying Squirrel

The sweet guy in these photos will be released when the weather gets warmer.

Here’s a rarely seen treat: the Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans). It’s one of two flying squirrels found in North America. The other is Glaucomys sabrinus, the larger northern flying squirrel.

These nocturnal, aboreal rodents don’t really fly. They get a running start and propel themselves from trees, gliding on a membrane called a patagium. These squirrels eat fruit and nuts from treesa, well as flowers, buds, mushrooms, fungi, insects, carrion, bird eggs and nestlings. Their own predators include domestic cats, raccoons, owls, hawks and snakes.

If you find a baby flying squirrel please read these instructions. If you find an injured flying squirrel, follow these instructions. Please put on gloves and protective clothing before handling the animal and wash your hands after handling. Cute as they are, resist the tempation to hold or pet the animal. Wild animals, or the parasites feeding on them, can carry diseases. Flying squirrels have been linked to sylvatic epidemic typhus cases in the eastern United States.

Also keep in mind that it can squeeze through small gaps and chew through cardboard and loose animals in a car can be a tricky situation.