Meet Your Neighbors: Flying Squirrels
Eli Wolper: 1/26/24
This may be a bit of a departure from our regular focus on plant and gardening related information, but I had an interesting encounter with one not too long ago. It served as a reminder that the city is not as separate from ‘the wild’ as one might think.
Flying Squirrels are nocturnal rodents in the family Sciuridae. Other members of the family include tree squirrels (Red, Grey, Fox), ground squirrels (chipmunks and prairie dogs), and marmots. Like many of their fellow squirrels, their diet heavily relies on seeds and nuts- what in botany would be considered ‘hard mast’. Their preferred habitat is mature deciduous forest, where this food source is readily available. They can also, apparently, be found in urban areas with a sufficient population of mature trees- like Erie. They are fairly small, ranging between 8 & 11 inches, including their tail. Their fur is tan or brown on their back, and white or cream on their belly. They have small ears, a thin fluffy tail, and large black eyes. They have flaps of skin between their front and hind legs that stretch and allow them to glide.
Erie is part of the traditional range of two species of flying squirrel- the northern and southern. Northern flying squirrels can be distinguished (if you are able to get close enough to see) from their southern cousins by having belly fur that ends in white with gray closer to the skin, as opposed to the southern’s pure white belly fur. Northern flying squirrels also have developed an ecological niche- they live in older conifer stands, though they will also live in areas of forest with a mix of conifers and deciduous, or primarily smaller seeded hardwoods like maple and beech. Their diets differ as well- they prefer lichen, fungi, and smaller nuts. This specialization has resulted in northern flying squirrels being listed as endangered in Pennsylvania- from habitat loss due to land development and logging of choice mature trees. Nationally, northern flying squirrels are listed as secure.
If you are hoping to spot a flying squirrel, look in the evening and near groups of older, larger trees. You may have even better luck if you note that a tree has a cavity of some kind- as these are often choice nesting spots for many different kinds of animals.
Note: Flying squirrels are completely unrelated to sugar gliders- which are a marsupials and are more closely related to possums.
References
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "mast". Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 Aug. 2013, https://www.britannica.com/topic/mast-food. Accessed 23 January 2024.
Butchkoski, E., & Turner, G. (2010, Februrary 5). Northern Flying Squirrel - Wildlife. PA Game Commission. Retrieved January 23, 2024, from https://www.pgc.pa.gov/.../Pages/NorthernFlyingSquirrel.aspx
Kelly, L. (2018). Southern Flying Squirrel. NC Wildlife. Retrieved January 23, 2024, from https://www.ncwildlife.org/.../southern-flying-squirrel
Image Credit: Photograph taken by Ken Thomas, graciously donated to the public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/.../File:Southern_Flying...
