I have been studying the behavior of flying squirrels for years and I never stop being fascinated by these beautiful animals. One of the most common questions about these animals is, “Where do Flying Squirrels Live?”.
The answer is, “In North America there are three species of flying squirrels that live across the forests and can be found in most states except for those in the arid Southwest. Many other species of flying squirrel can be found across the world.”
There are three distinct species of flying squirrels and they live in three different types of forests. Keep reading to learn which type of flying squirrel lives in your region!
Location of Northern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus)
Northern flying squirrels can be found, as the name implies, across the northern section of North America. The squirrels can be found in Alaska, throughout Canada and in some northern US States.
There are a few random, isolated populations of Northern Flying Squirrels in more southern states. The most famous of these is the subspecies of Carolina Northern Flying Squirrels found in the high elevations of the mountains of North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia. The Carolina species is important as it is the only endangered species of flying squirrel in North America.
Types of Trees and Forests
The Northern Flying Squirrel live in coniferous and mixed coniferous forests.
This type of forest primarily contains cone bearing trees that produce needles instead of leaves. Examples of this type of tree are Pine, Spruce, Fir and Cedar.
This type of forest are typically found in cold climates which explains why this species of squirrel is so populous in Alaska and Canada.
While it might appear strange that squirrels that thrive in cold weather forests would have pockets of existence in North Carolina and Tennessee it should be noted that they only exist on mountaintops at elevations above 4,500 feet where things get pretty cold.
Location of Southern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys volans)
Southern flying squirrels are found across the eastern United States, parts of the Midwest and a few locations in Canada and Mexico.
In the few areas where the territories of the Southern and Northern squirrels overlap it is easy to tell the species apart. In general you will find Northern squirrels at higher elevations and Southern squirrels at lower elevations. Additionally, the Southern squirrels are about 30% to 40% smaller than Northern squirrels.
Types of Trees and Forests
Southern Flying Squirrels prefer mast producing hardwood forests containing oak and hickory trees. These trees provide the nuts that keeps these animals fed through the year.
The most preferred oaks are White oaks followed by Water and Black oaks. The squirrels appear to prefer the acorns from these trees but will stash the nuts from neighboring hickory trees for eating during the winter.
Location of Humboldt’s Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys oregonensis)
Humboldt’s Flying Squirrels are found in the coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest.
This species looks nearly identical to Northern Flying Squirrels, so much so that scientists thought these were the same species up until 2017 when genetic testing showed them to be different.
Due to the recent discovery of this species there has not been enough time to understand behavior and dietary differences of this species.
Types of Trees and Forests
The coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest are distinct from the coniferous forests by Northern Flying Squirrels.
The conifers in the Pacific Northwest grow to incredible heights as made famous by the giant Sequoias and Redwoods. Actually, even the Pines, Firs and Spruce trees of the regions grow much larger than in other coniferous forests due to the unique climate of the region.
It makes sense that such a unique forest would be home to a unique type of flying squirrel!
Impact of Climate Change on Flying Squirrel Territory
As the global temperature is rising the ranges of the Northern and Southern Flying Squirrels are becoming more overlapping.
This has resulted in more interaction between the two species and there is now documented evidence of increased interbreeding between them.
It will be interesting to see if these interactions will result in new species of flying squirrels being produced or the complete displacement of one species by the other.
Flying Squirrels Across the World
While the focus of this article has been the flying squirrels of North America there are many other species of flying squirrels that live in forests all across the globe.
Flying Squirrels of Asia
Two of the most intriguing species are the Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrel the Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel which live in the forests of Japan.
There are many other giant flying squirrels found across Asia that you can learn about in this article about the largest squirrels in the world.
Flying Squirrels in Europe
The Siberian Flying Squirrel is the only flying squirrel found in Europe. The only European countries where you can find this tiny, adorable animal are Estonia and Finland.
Flying Squirrels of Africa
There are several species of flying squirrels located across Africa but they come from a different family (Anomaluridae) than what we traditionally consider to be squirrels (Sciuridae).
