Name: Wildlife Wonderings: Southern Flying Squirrel
Start: 2026-01-07T12:00:00-06:00
Location: 20634 Kenswick Dr, Humble, TX, United States, Texas 77338

Wildlife Wonderings: Southern Flying Squirrel
The autumn and winter night sky in northeastern Harris County provides one of the best possible times to encounter a common but rarely seen resident – the Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans).
Frequently seen in wooded areas in Kingwood, Porter, Atascocita, Humble, Southern Flying Squirrels are nocturnal. Their eyes appear large in their head. Southern Flying Squirrels are found in eastern deciduous forests. Oak, maple and sycamore trees make favorable habitats.
Flying squirrels do not actually fly, but rather glide using a membrane called a patagium. From atop of trees, flying squirrels can initiate glides from a running start or from a stationary position by bringing their limbs under the body, retracting their heads, and then propelling themselves off the tree. Once in the air, they form an "X" with their limbs by spreading their long arms forward and out and their long legs backward and out, causing their membrane to stretch into a square-like shape and glide down at angles of 30 to 40 degrees. Just before reaching a tree, they raise their flattened tails that abruptly changes their trajectory upwards, and point all of their limbs forward to create a parachute effect with the membrane in order to reduce the shock of landing. The limbs absorb the remainder of the impact, and the squirrels immediately run to the other side of the trunk or to the top of the tree in order to avoid any potential predators.
Their predators include snakes (especially ratsnakes), owls, hawks and raccoons. Domestic cats can also be potential predators.
Southern Flying Squirrels have grey-brown fur on top with darker sides and are a cream color underneath. As previously mentioned, they have large dark eyes. They also have flattened tails that aid in their gliding. They have a furry membrane called a patagium that extends between the front and rear legs and is used to glide through the air.
Southern Flying Squirrels are not as large as other local squirrel species. Including the tail -- which can be from 8–12 cm (3.1–4.7 in) -- their total length ranges from 21–26 cm (8.3–10.2 in).

They feed on fruit and nuts from trees such as red and white oak. They store food, especially acorns, for winter consumption. They also dine on insects, buds, mushrooms, mycorrhizal fungi, carrion, bird eggs, nestlings, and flowers.
Southern Flying Squirrels nest in natural cavities and woodpecker holes, or build their nest out of leaves and twigs. These leaf nests are used as a refuge or a resting site and are used primarily in summer, while cavities are used for breeding and more intensively during winter. Cavities used by Southern Flying Squirrels are found in small snags that average 23.27 cm (9.16 in) diameter or in large living trees that average 50.42 cm (19.85 in) depth. The entrances average 4.7 cm (1.9 in) in width by 9.4 cm (3.7 in) in height which are an average of 6.36 m (20.9 ft) above the ground.
Both in the wild and in captivity, they can produce two litters each year with 2–7 young per litter. The gestation period is approximately 40 days. Young are born without fur or any capabilities of their own. Their ears open at 2 to 6 days old, and fur grows in by 7 days. Their eyes do not open until they are 24–30 days old. Mothers wean their young 65 days after they are born. The young then become fully independent at around 120 days of age.
Southern Flying Squirrels are highly social mammals and have been observed flying and foraging together in large groups. Additionally, they often aggregate together in dens, especially as seasonal temperatures decline in order to conserve energy. Compared to individuals who nest alone in winter, squirrels in aggregates can save 30 percent more energy. Although Southern Flying Squirrels do show a preference for relatedness, they are tolerant of nonrelated but familiar individuals, possibly because in addition to providing heat energy for the aggregation, outsiders will promote outbreeding.
To learn more about this wonderful resident of our woods, come to Jesse Jones Park & Nature Center on Wednesday, Jan. 7, for Wildlife Wonderings at 12 p.m. Who knows? Perhaps you might even get the chance to meet “Meadow,” our ambassador flying squirrel in person!