Southern Flying Squirrel

Glaucomys volans

Flying squirrels are the only nocturnal squirrels and the only gliders in Canada. They are very agile in the trees, capable of gliding fifty yards from the top of a tree to the ground, although they are clumsier on the ground when they descend to feed. Although their fur is attractive, it is too soft to withstand wear, and therefore has no commercial value. Their favorite foods are hickory nuts and white oak acorns, which they store in their dens for the cold winter months. Flying squirrels are highly sociable and do not display territoriality. Their main predators are the night-flying owls and the domestic cat.