Species / Northern flying squirrel
Northern flying squirrel
Glaucomys sabrinus
Quick answer
The northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) is a flying squirrel. Range: Coniferous forests of northern North America. Size: 25–37 cm long. Weight: 110–230 g. Diet: plant material, tree sap, fungi, insects, bird eggs. IUCN status: Least Concern.
- Scientific name
- Glaucomys sabrinus
- Group
- Flying squirrel
- Range
- Coniferous forests of northern North America
- Size
- 25–37 cm long
- Weight
- 110–230 g
- Diet
- Plant material, tree sap, fungi, insects, bird eggs
- IUCN status
- Least Concern
About the northern flying squirrel
The northern flying squirrel is one of three species of the genus Glaucomys, the only flying squirrels found in North America. They are found in coniferous and mixed coniferous forests across much of Canada, from Alaska to Nova Scotia, south to the mountains of North Carolina and west to Utah in the United States. They are light brown with pale underparts and grow to a length of 25 to 37 cm. They are proficient gliders but uncoordinated walkers on the ground. The species feeds on a variety of plant material as well as tree sap, fungi, insects, carrion, bird eggs and nestlings. They mostly breed once a year in a cavity lined with lichen or other soft material. Except when they have young, they change nests frequently, and in winter a number of individuals may huddle together in a shared nest. Unlike most members of their family, flying squirrels are strictly nocturnal.
