ANIMAL ESTATE client 1.09: NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRREL
FROM ANIMAL ESTATES 1.0: NEW YORK, NY
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Glaucomys sabrinus
ANIMAL PROFILE:
RANGE: Glaucomys sabrinus ranges from the treeline in Alaska and Canada southward in the west to northern California and Colorado, in the middle of the continent to central Michigan and Wisconsin, and in the east to northern North Carolina and Tennessee. Island populations exist in areas of high elevation in other parts of the United States, including the southern Appalachian Mountains, the Black Hills, and the Sierra Nevada.
HABITAT: Most often found in areas dominated by conifers, northern flying squirrels can also be relatively abundant in deciduous and mixed coniferous/deciduous forests. Glaucomys sabrinus has been found in diverse areas including regions dominated by spruce, fir, and mixed hemlocks, in beech maple forests, and in areas dominated by white spruce and birch with interspersed aspen groves. The northern flying squirrel often nests in conifers 1 to 18 meters above the ground. The nests are made of twigs and bark, and they are softened with feathers, fur, leaves, and conifer needles. Habitat may consist of coniferous and mixed forests; may occur in hardwoods where old or dead trees have numerous woodpecker-type nesting holes.
COMMUNITY:
HOME CONSTRUCTION: Nest depth, or loft, varies according to type of use required, season, and sex of the nest builder. Below are two representative examples which display the difference between a late spring natal nest (left) built by a gravid female northern flying squirrel and a late spring dirunal refuge nest built by a solitary male northern flying squirrel (right). This natal nest is almost 700 percent larger by volume than the solitary male nest. Additionally, the solitary male nest material has not been finely shredded as is the case with the natal nest material, both of which consist of (mostly) eastern white cedar bark. flyingsquirrels.com
BUILDING MATERIALS: Materials used to make nests vary widely upon suitable materials present in a particular squirrel's immediate geographic location. These materials can include strippable bark (i.e. cedar, birch, wild grape); grasses; mosses; lichens; found animal fur; found bird feathers; small twigs; tree leaves (deciduous and coniferous); man-made materials (i.e. attic insulation, newspaper). flyingsquirrels.com
BUILDING MOTIVATION: The young are often born in a hollow stump or limb, or sometimes in a bark nest in a conifer crotch. There is apparently only one litter per year, in contrast to the Southern Flying Squirrel, which sometimes has two.
THREATS: The main predators of northern flying squirrels are owls , hawks , martens , weasels , coyotes , and the domestic cat . They avoid predation mainly by being active at night and through their vigilance and agility in the trees.
INTERESTING FACTS: Northern flying squirrels sometimes share nests and may live in groups of up to 8 adults and juveniles. Individual Glaucomys sabrinus aggregate into single-sex groups for warmth during the winter. The wing-loading coefficient of northern flying squirrels is about 50 Newtons/square meter, 2-3 times that of most bats. An average 'flight' of G. sabrinus is 20 meters, though flights as long as 90 meters have been recorded. Northern flying squirrels have also been seen making full semi-circles in a single flight. Northern flying squirrels diverge from many squirrels in that lichens and fungi are a large portion of the diet and are not just supplements. The Northern Flying Squirrel feeds primarily on lichens and subterranean fungi, such as Endogone and its relatives. In feeding, it dispenses fungal spores and the nitrogen-fixing bacteria that help trees obtain nutrients and water. (This offers a compelling argument against clear-cutting, which breaks up this natural andnecessary association for the germination and proper growth of the forest.)
MAKING A NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRREL HOME: link 01
REFERENCES:
Malamuth, E. and M. Mulheisen. 1999. "Glaucomys sabrinus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 09, 2007 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Glaucomys_sabrinus.html.
Annapolis field office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Office and the Northern Flying Squirrel Recovery Team. 1990. Appalachian Northern Flying Squirrels Recovery Plan. Annapolis, U.S.A.
Baker, Rollin H. 1983. Michigan Mammals. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, pg 236-243.
Kurta, Allen. 1985. Mammals of the Great Lake Region. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, pg 131-134
Wells-Gosling, Nancy. 1985. Flying Squirrels. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, D.C.
Wells-Gosling, Nancy, and Heaney, Lawrence R. 1984. Glaucomys sabrinus. Mammalian Species No. 229. American Society of Mammalogists. North Hampton, Ma.
"Animal Life Histories Database" (On-line).
Accessed November 9, 2007
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
from flyingsquirrels.com