Informative Essay: The Northern Flying Squirrel

The Northern Flying Squirrel

It is a bird! It is a plane! No, it is a Northern Flying Squirrel! This little critter has it all. It has a very unique definition, description and family. It also has adapted to play it’s role in the food pyramid perfectly and it even has managed to find the perfect habitat for it to live in. Some could say this is the most amazing animal to live on planet Earth. The Northern Flying Squirrel comes from a very unique orign. They come from the family Sciuridae. They are classified in the flying squirrel species which includes 50 total species of flying squirrels. They are also one of the only two species of flying squirrels to live in the United States. Their scientific name is Glaucomys sabrinus and they belong to the order, rodentia, due to being part of the squirrel family. The Northern Flying Squirrel is defined as a small squirrel that has skin joining the hind and front limbs used for gliding from tree to tree. “The Northern Flying Squirrel is a small squirrel. It is about ten inches long from the tip of it’s nose to the tip

They have been found living in the northern states of the United States, such as, North Dakota, Minnesota, Alaska, Washington, Montana and Wisconsin. They have also been found living in the western and southwestern provinces of Canada, including, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Northern Flying Squirrel prefers a very uncommon habitat. “The Northern Flying Squirrel lives in dense conifer or mixed conifer and deciduous forests.” (www.nhptv.org). This meaning that they live in extremely thick forests, due to the fact that they spend most of their life in trees and require a lot of cover and protection. Northern Flying Squirrels have been known to have similar nesting preferences and as regular squirrels though. This would include nesting in corners, holes or cracks of barns and