Northern flying squirrel

The northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) is one of three species of the genus Glaucomys and one of the two flying squirrel species found in North America. They are found in coniferous and mixed coniferous forests across much of Canada, from Alaska to Nova Scotia, and south to the mountains of North Carolina and west to Utah, Washington, and Oregon in the United States. They are light brown with pale underparts and grow to a length of 25 to 37 cm (10 to 15 in). They are proficient gliders but clumsy walkers on the ground. They feed on a variety of plant material as well as tree sap, fungi, insects, carrion, bird eggs and nestlings. They mostly breed once a year in a cavity lined with lichen or other soft material. Except when they have young, they change nests frequently, and in winter a number of individuals may huddle together in a shared nest. Unlike most members of their family, flying squirrels are strictly nocturnal. The northern flying squirrel is found in coniferous and mixed coniferous forests across the top of North America, from Alaska to Nova Scotia, south to the mountains of North Carolina and west to Utah, Washington and Oregon. The Humboldt's flying squirrel was formerly considered conspecific, but was found to be a cryptic species, and now considered distinct. They are generally smaller and darker than northern flying squirrels. Two subspecies are found in the southern Appalachians, the Carolina northern flying squirrel, G. s. coloratus, and the West Virginia northern flying squirrel G. s. fuscus, both of which are endangered, although the West Virginia subspecies has recovered enough that it was delisted in August 2008.