How to identify it
Silky grey and cinnamon-brown fur; belly hairs are white-tipped with grey bases. [1]
Furred gliding membrane runs from foreleg wrist to hindleg ankle; long flattened tail. [1]
Large black eyes; 75-140 g, 275-342 mm total length. [1]
Larger than the southern flying squirrel. [1]
Compared with the southern flying squirrel: Smaller, with cream-coloured rather than grey-based belly fur. [1]
Species it is confused with
Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.
- Southern flying squirrel · Glaucomys volans
Field notes
- Identification Confirm a northern flying squirrel before you act. Compared with the southern flying squirrel: Smaller, with cream-coloured rather than grey-based belly fur.[1]
Where it lives
Conifer-dominated forest, also deciduous and mixed forest. Nests 1-18 m up in trees of twigs, bark, feathers and fur. [1]
How it behaves
Strictly nocturnal, active roughly 2 hours after sunset and before sunrise [1]
Where it is listed for legal take
These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.
Conservation and protection
- ENDANGERED — Carolina northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus): listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1985-07-01. · ECOS species profile: Carolina northern flying squirrel
Where legal take is listed
- Alberta — trapping · Alberta Guide to Trapping Regulations 2026-2027
- British Columbia — trapping · 2026-2028 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis
- Northwest Territories — hunting · NWT Summary of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, July 1 2022 - June 30 2023
- Saskatchewan — trapping · 2026-27 Trappers Guide
- Alaska — hunting, trapping · 2026-2027 Alaska Hunting Regulations: Fur Animals, Small Game, Unclassified Game, and Deleterious Exotic Wildlife (pp.140-142)
- Massachusetts — hunting, other regulated take · M.G.L. c.131 s.5 Open seasons; rules and regulations
- Texas — hunting · Outdoor Annual: Nongame, Exotic, Endangered, Threatened & Protected Species
- Utah — hunting, other regulated take · Utah Admin. Code R657-19 Taking of Nongame Mammals
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Alaska and Canada south to northern California, Colorado, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Tennessee, with isolated high-elevation populations.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
- BIOLOGICALNorthern Flying Squirrel
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology