CreatureData

Southern flying squirrel

Glaucomys volans (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernrodents

The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) is a species in the family Sciuridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 47 g to 85 g and live up to 14.2 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans)
Photo: Ken Thomas · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the southern flying squirrel

Weight
47 g – 85 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
14.2 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
19 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
40 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
3 – 4src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
10.8 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.67src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the southern flying squirrel live?

Not recorded

What is the southern flying squirrel?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans), sometimes called the assapan or polatouche, is a species of squirrel in the family Sciuridae. G. volans is one of three species of flying squirrels found in North America. It is found in deciduous and mixed woods in the eastern half of North America, from southeastern Canada to Florida. Disjunct populations of this species have been recorded in the highlands of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. There are 11 subspecies that are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

From the Wikipedia article “Southern flying squirrel” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southern_flying_squirrel&oldid=1373947361), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the southern flying squirrel endangered?

The southern flying squirrel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the southern flying squirrel classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderRodentia
  5. familySciuridae
  6. genusGlaucomys
  7. SpeciesGlaucomys volans (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Mus volans

Other names and names in other languages (29)
  • AssapanEnglish
  • Common flying squirrelEnglish
  • Mexican flying squirrelEnglish
  • Mexican flying squirrelEnglish
  • Gwiñver-nij ar suBreton
  • ᏕᏩCherokee
  • poletuška asapanCzech
  • Südliches GleithörnchenGerman
  • Κοινός Ιπτάμενος ΣκίουροςGreek
  • Ardilla voladora sureñaSpanish
  • Ardilla-voladora del surSpanish
  • Glaucomys volansBasque
  • Etelänliito-oravaFinnish
  • amerikanliito-oravaFinnish
  • petit polatoucheFrench
  • déli repülőmókusHungarian
  • Glaucomio del sudItalian
  • アメリカモモンガJapanese
  • 남부하늘다람쥐Korean
  • Pietinė Voverė SkraiduolėLithuanian
  • DienvidlidvāvereLatvian
  • Lite Nordamerikansk FlyeekornNorwegian Bokmål
  • Noord-Amerikaanse Vliegende EekhoornDutch
  • zhagashkaandaweOjibwa
  • assapan południowyPolish
  • Esquilo-voador-mexicanoPortuguese
  • Южная летягаRussian
  • Leteča vevericaSlovenian
  • 北美飛鼠Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the southern flying squirrel

Other species in the same genus Glaucomys.

CompareSouthern flying squirrel vs Northern flying squirrel

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the southern flying squirrel?

An adult southern flying squirrel weighs 47 g – 85 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the southern flying squirrel endangered?

The southern flying squirrel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the southern flying squirrel live?

The southern flying squirrel has a recorded lifespan of 14.2 years.

How long is the southern flying squirrel pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 40 days.

What kind of animal is the southern flying squirrel?

The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) belongs to the family Sciuridae in the order Rodentia.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/southern-flying-squirrel

MLA

“Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/southern-flying-squirrel.

BibTeX
@misc{southern_flying_squirrel_2026,
  title = {Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/southern-flying-squirrel},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}