Contains fact about the flying squirrel and answers the most common questions.

The flying squirrel The flying squirrel is a sociable, noisy rodent that doesn't really fly; it glides from trees, using a flap of loose skin that connects its front and hind legs It can glide up to 150 feet (46 m), steering with its tail. It lands on a tree trunk, gripping it with all four feet. This squirrel is nocturnal (most active at night). It has a life span of about 5 years in the wild, and about 13 years in captivity. Flying squirrels live in deciduous forests in North America.

Predators… Flying squirrels are prey animals, and they have many predators. Some common predators are: Owls, Marten, Fisher Raccoon, Coyote, House Cat, Bobcat, Lynx, Weasel, Arboreal snakes, Rattlesnakes Many flying squirrel predators locate their prey by a combination of sound and movement (there are exceptions, of course - snakes locate their prey via a combination of smell, warmth, and vibration).

Do they hibernate? The sharing of nests by flying squirrels is important in maintaining body temperature in the winter, as flying squirrels do not hibernate.

Is it endangered? Yes. It’s endangered because… The climate warmed and they are used for it to be cold. Human disturbances have also done it so most flying squirrels live in habitats AWAY from humans.

What do they eat? They diet on some berries, spiders, slug and snails, bird eggs, insects, seeds, flowers, tree shrubs and buds, tree sap and bark cambium.

Where is their habitat? Northern flying squirrels range from the treeline in Alaska and Canada southward in the west to northern California and Colorado, in the middle of the continent to central Michigan and Wisconsin, and in the east to northern North Carolina and Tennessee. Small populations live in the mountains in other parts of the United States, including the southern Appalachian Mountains, the Black Hills, and the Sierra Nevada.

History of the flying squirrel When the flying squirrel was first discovered people were scared and thought mankind was in jeopardy. For a mammal could fly. Then I don’t think there were any mammals that could fly (Bat), and if there were I don’t think the people saw them that often. Soon men began to accept the flying squirrels.

Fun facts  The flying squirrel does not fly, it soars  The flying squirrel is a herbivore  When not soaring the flying squirrel looks like any other squirrel  Flying squirrels live in nests  Flying squirrels are usually brown

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