Glaucomys sabrinus

photo credit: www.animalspot.net

ID

  • Flap of skin, called a patagium, stretching from front limb to hind limb on either side of the body allows the squirrel to glide (Smithsonian)
  • Dorsal coloration ranges from light tan to rusty brown and belly hairs are mostly white with gray at the base
  • Dorsoventrally flattened tail (Whitaker)

Distribution

  Credit: Smithsonian Institution

Reproduction

  • Produces only one litter per year of two to four young
  • Males remain in reproductive condition for at least 10 months of the year, though the females enter estrus during breeding season in March or sometimes a little later
  • Gestation is 37-42 days and young are brought forth between May and September

Behavior

  • Nocturnal
  • Arboreal, but forage for food in the forest floor litter and other nests
  • Do not hibernate, though rain, high wind, and fog impede the ability to glide and reduce levels of activity
  • Can occasionally be found living in small family groups(Whitaker)

Food Habits

  • Mostly fungi and lichens, not as dependent on nuts and seeds as many other species in Family Sciuridae
  • Does not store food for winter as fungi are available year-round
  • Will also eat cones, fern sporangia, pollen, seeds, buds, fruits, some epigeous fungi, insects, and other animal material. They will also lap up sap from trees and sometimes eat small vertebrates (Whitaker)

Size/Life Cycle

  • Average measurements: 276 mm (total length), 126 mm (tail), 36 mm (hind foot),70-140 g (total weight) (Whitaker)

Predators

  • Owls, snakes, house cats, bobcats, weasels, skunks, coyotes, foxes, hawks.
  • Open containers of liquids and barbed wire fences are also hazards for the flying squirrel (Whitaker)

Habitat

  • Old-growth forest (tall trees with large cavities for gliding and nesting) of conifer and hardwood (Whitaker)