Southern Flying Squirrel

The southern flying squirrel is a small, nocturnal squirrel native to eastern North America, named for a furred membrane called a patagium stretched between its front and back legs, which it uses to glide, rather than truly fly, from tree to tree, sometimes covering distances of many metres in a single glide. It has large eyes adapted for night vision and a flattened tail that helps it steer during flight, and it is an omnivore feeding on nuts, seeds, fruit, fungi, insects and occasionally bird eggs. Southern flying squirrels are highly social for a squirrel species, often nesting communally in tree cavities, especially during colder months, and the species remains common across its forested range and is classified as being of least concern.