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Iowa’s native base-jumper is the southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans). They are easily identifiable because of the wing-like membrane, or patagium, that stretches between the wrists of the front legs to the ankles of the back legs, which looks like the wingsuit base-jumpers use when gliding through the air. The southern flying squirrel can glide—it doesn’t actually fly—over 250 feet in one leap! It might be clumsy on land, but in the air the southern flying squirrel is extremely agile, capable of making sharp turns and avoiding obstacles. When landing they will raise their tails abruptly to change direction vertically and will point their limbs forward to create a parachute like effect that reduces the shock of landing. Once they’ve landed, the squirrels will then quickly run to the other side of the tree in an effort to avoid predators, such as snakes, owls, hawks, raccoons, and, perhaps the most dangerous, the house cat. They can also be recognized by their larger eyes which help them see at night when they are most active. In fact, seeing a flying squirrel is a rare thing, partially because of their nocturnal habits.
 Unfortunately, the southern flying squirrel population is declining in Iowa, and it is therefore a State Species of Special Concern and a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Iowa’s Wildlife Action Plan. The population numbers are declining because forests with mature trees and a classic understory of fallen rotting logs, which the squirrel uses for both nesting and food, are being lost.
What can you do to help protect Iowa's flying squirrel?
The best thing to do is improve flying squirrel habitat.
Leave fallen logs and rotting material and do your best to maintain older wood
lots. You can also build a nesting box that resembles their favorite nesting
site—woodpecker holes!
To learn more about the mammals of Iowa, download or buy the Mammals of Iowa Field Guide.
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