You may have flying squirrels living in your back yard, but have never seen them because they are usually only seen at night as they are nocturnal. Flying squirrels are relatively small tree squirrels. There are 2 species of flying squirrels in New England. The larger northern flying squirrel weighs more than 70 grams (Well-Gosling & Heaney, 1984) or just slightly less than a golden hamster or 1 to 2 decks of cards, and the smaller southern flying squirrel weighs less than 80 grams (Dolan & Carter, 1977) or about a half of deck of cards to nearly a full deck. Flying squirrels do not actually fly. They have a flap of skin that runs from the wrist to the ankle called a patagium. This gliding membrane helps them glide from a higher location to a lower location and they can swiftly move from tree to tree this way. The tail is used as a rudder to help them direct where they want to go.  The scientific name for the northern flying squirrel is Glaucomys sabrinus and the southern flying squirrel is Glaucomys volans. You will see the squirrels referred to by their scientific names in the maps below.

Flying squirrels chew their nuts in a peculiar way. They chew a circular pattern as opposed to just ripping them apart. If you find nuts that are chewed like this in your woods, you may have a flying squirrel!