They’re rarely spotted, but flying squirrels do live in Michigan forests

You have to be really, really lucky to ever see one, but flying squirrels do live in Michigan.

These nocturnal creatures live in mature forests, parks, and other woodlands. They have large, black eyes, rounded ears, and a flattened tail. Their gliding membranes are bordered with dark gray to black fur that connects their wrists to their ankles.

Flying squirrel is a bit of misnomer, they don’t actually fly. They have a loose membrane of furred skin attached between their front and back legs. They use that membrane to glide from tree to tree. Maybe gliding squirrels would be a more accurate name?

There are two species of flying squirrels in Michigan. One is the northern flying squirrel, which is found in the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula. The southern flying squirrel is only found in the Lower Peninsula. Both species are very closely related.

You can tell the two species apart based on color. The fur on the underbellies of southern flying squirrels is a white to cream color, and the color of the underbellies of northern flying squirrels is gray.

Northern flying squirrels weigh between 75 and 140 grams and range from 10.8′' to 13.5′' in length. Southern flying squirrels weigh between 38 to 90 grams and range from 7.9′' to 11.2′' in length.

Northern flying squirrels prefer to live in old growth, closed canopy boreal or mixed hardwood-coniferous forests. They live in interior dens, often built by woodpeckers, or exterior nests (dreys) from 3 to 30 feet above ground. Each breeding pair tends to have a typical territory size of about five acres. They also molt every autumn. During winter they are lighter in color and have fur on the soles of their feet.

Southern flying squirrels are more often found in beech-maple, oak-hickory, and poplar forests. They tend to nest inside tree cavities or in nests made of leaves. They also seem to prefer to nest in shelters within 100 meters of a body of water. This species of flying squirrel is social, with as many as 20 nesting together during the winter months to stay warm. In the summer months, the nests decrease to around five squirrels per nest.

• Learn more about the northern flying squirrel here.
• Learn more about the southern flying squirrel here.

Flying squirrel sightings in Michigan

Even though flying squirrels can be found across the state, they are rarely spotted. That’s because they are almost entirely nocturnal and tend to only come out at night. The next time you’re camping in a wooded area spend some time looking up and you might catch a glimpse of some gliding around.

The following data comes from the Michigan Natural Features Inventory: