Genera Glaucomys
Tree squirrels have no internal cheek pouches. They primarily live in trees but can be seen on the ground. They do not hibernate in the winter. Their food, some of which they store, includes nuts, berries, fruits, seeds, buds, twigs, bark, eggs, fungi and insects. They usually nest in tree cavities or leaf nests. Gestation takes forty to forty-five days, with one to seven young being born naked and blind, there are up to two litters a year.
Southern Flying Squirrel – Glaucomys volans
Description:
Size: head and body 6 in (15.2-cm) tail 4 in (10.2 cm)
Fur is thick, soft and glossy: olive brown above, white below, belly hairs white to base. Eyes are large, tail is flattened.
Habitat:
Woodlands with tall trees.
Habits:
Nocturnal, sociable, sleeps by day in a hole in a tree. Can glide 125 ft (38.1 m) given a high enough takeoff point. Lands with an audible thump, such as on a camp roof.
Life Span:
Lives up to 13 years.
Notes:
Flying squirrels have a fold of loose furred skin along their sides that extends from wrist to ankle. When extended this enables them to glide (not fly) from tree trunk to tree trunk.
Range:
Throughout most of eastern US, west to Kansas.
This squirrel is rare in Nova Scotia, having been found in open woodlands with oak trees in Kejimkujik, and one other location nearby.
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