Southern Flying Squirrel
Glaucomys volans
Summary 7
The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) is one of two species of the genus Glaucomys, the only flying squirrels found in North America (the other is the somewhat larger northern flying squirrel G. sabrinus). It is found in deciduous and mixed woods in the eastern half of North America, from southeastern Canada, to Florida, USA. Disjunct distribution for populations of this species have been recorded in the highlands of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
Description 8
"Most of the Southern Flying Squirrel's range is east of the Mississippi River, but it occurs west of the river in central Texas, and as far south as Honduras, in Central America. Like the Northern Flying Squirrel, it has a gliding membrane (patagium) and a flattened tail. Flying squirrels are nocturnal and are much smaller than most tree squirrels, which are diurnal. Although primarily associated with hardwoods, especially oaks and hickories, Southern Flying Squirrels inhabit forests of diverse types, and even live in cities and suburbs. A natural cavity or old woodpecker hole in a live or dead tree is the typical nest site. Where the ranges of the two species of flying squirrels overlap, it appears the Southern Flying Squirrel may out-compete its larger relative."
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account
Sources and Credits
- (c) Stephen Durrenberger, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/38275458@N05/5569449403
- Ken Thomas, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Southern_Flying_Squirrel-27527-1.jpg/460px-Southern_Flying_Squirrel-27527-1.jpg
- (c) Steven J. Baskauf, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://bioimages.vanderbilt.edu/baskauf/31321
- (c) Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/phil_myers/ADW_mammals/Rodentia/Glaucomys0048/medium.jpg
- (c) Marlo Perdicas, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Marlo Perdicas
- (c) Calopteryx, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3870/14654218477_a7df6bc495_o.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaucomys_volans
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/16146877
