Aerial acrobats of the forest: Fun facts about flying squirrels

If a peculiar set of circumstances transformed you into a rodent, wouldn’t you hope to awake as a flying squirrel? The amazing gliding skill would set you apart from the rest of the pack. Chipmunks, mice and shrews would marvel at your aerial acrobatics and perhaps toss choice acorns into your tip jar.

Life would be good, although you would have to avoid unpleasant interludes with owls, fishers, cats and other animals that might view you as a delicious tidbit.

While morphing into a squirrel is unlikely, your friends at Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) still thought it might be fun to put together some facts about these daring pilots and see what they’re up to, way up in the trees. Here we go!

Two kinds of flying squirrels

Southern flying squirrels are common in Massachusetts and on Cape Cod, but due to their nocturnal behavior it can be tricky to get a good look at one. They tend to be about eight to 10 inches long, clad in soft gray fur with white bellies.

Although they will forage on the ground, noshing on nuts and seeds, most of their time is spent in trees. As late summer rolls in, flying squirrels will begin to store food in and around trees to get them through the winter.

Northern flying squirrels are a bit larger than their southern cousins, and are listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Massachusetts. According to the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, “Northern flying squirrels may still occur in northern portions of Massachusetts but have not been confirmed in over 60 years.”

Reasons for northern flying squirrels’ decline may include the loss of mature forest habitat and exposure to a parasite that is often carried by the increasing number of southern flying squirrels. This parasite is rarely harmful to southern squirrels, but can be fatal to the northern ones.

Do flying squirrels really fly?

Despite their name, flying squirrels don’t actually fly, but they sure can glide. The key to this ability is a membrane –a flappy piece of skin called a patagium — that extends from the wrists of their front feet to the ankles of their hind feet. This passage from the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry really tells the tale of how flying squirrels take to the air:

“Before gliding, a flying squirrel bobs and rotates the head, perhaps to gauge the route, and then leaps from a high perch, the feet extended to stretch the membranes. The airborne rodent sails forward and downward, twisting and turning to avoid branches, the changes in direction aided by a tail which serves as a rudder. Just as it nears the destination, the flying squirrel gives an upward jerk of the tail to land, head upward. Fleshy pads on the feet cushion the shock of impact, and sharp claws clasp the bark.”

These skydiving squirrels “have been recorded gliding over 150 feet from a height of 60 feet,” according to Mass Audubon. It is thought that flying squirrels have evolved with this ability to help avoid predators and increase their ability to cover more foraging territory.

An HCT flying squirrel rescue

In August 2024, Naturalist and HCT walk leader Andrea Higgins discovered two baby flying squirrels in a nest that had fallen out of a tree at Sand Pond Woodlands.  She brought the two babies to Wild Care in Eastham, a wildlife rehabilitation center that helps sick, injured and orphaned mammals, birds, and other animals, with the goal of eventual release back into their native habitats.

When the flying squirrels arrived, they each weighed under 10 grams (about the weight of a pencil). They were quite young and still nursing, which initially required 8 feedings per day with overnight care. Wild Care’s staff of licensed wildlife rehabilitators were able to nurture the two babies until they were ready to be released in December, back home at Sand Pond Woodlands. Higgins was part of the team that secured the squirrels’ nest box high in a tree near where they were found.

Keep your eyes peeled for flying squirrels and other wonderful wildlife when you’re exploring a beautiful HCT trail. You may not end up rescuing babies or seeing furry daredevils soar from tree to tree, but you’re bound to be enchanted by the enriching natural surroundings that provide thrills on a daily basis.

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