Types of Flying Squirrels

Flying squirrels are small mammals that use specialized flaps of skin on their sides to glide over large distances. Over 40 species are known to exist in the world and are spread between 14 genera. Several of these small gliding mammals are considered endangered or at risk, particularly some Asian species that are affected by deforestation.

  1. Pygmy Flying Squirrels

    • The smallest species of flying squirrels belong to the two genera of hylopetes and petaurillus, both commonly known as pygmy squirrels. Species like Hose's pygmy squirrel grow to between 2 and 4 inches in length and weigh around 3 oz. It belongs to the petaurillus genus along with two other species, the lesser pygmy and selangor pygmy flying squirrels. The species in this genus live mainly in Borneo and Malaysia. The species in the genus hylopetes are also small and live in southeast Asia. The gray-cheeked, red-cheeked and Sumatran pygmy flying squirrels are among the 10 species in this genus.

    Small Flying Squirrels

    • The eight species in the genus petinomys are more commonly known as small flying squirrels. They live mainly on the southeast Asian islands of Malaysia, Sumatra and Java. The species in this genus include the travancore, mindanao, whiskered and Hagen's flying squirrels.

    Asian Giant Flying Squirrels

    • The species in the genus petaurista, more commonly known as Asian giant flying squirrels, are among the largest of the flying squirrels. Species in this genus grow to around 2 feet in length and weigh over 40 oz. Flying squirrels generally have to be small to be efficient at gliding. As the name suggests, the species in this group are found in southern Asia and Japan. The red giant, Chinese giant, Japanese giant and South Indian giant flying squirrels are all in this genus.

    American and Eurasian Flying Squirrels

    • North America is the native home of the two species in the glaucomys genus. The northern and southern flying squirrels are both medium-sized species of around a foot in length. The Eurasian flying squirrels belong to the genus pteromys and consist of two species. The Siberian flying squirrel is native to northern Europe. The Japanese flying squirrel lives only on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu.

    Sunda and Javanese Flying Squirrels

    • The two species in the genus aeromys are more commonly known as Sunda flying squirrels. The black flying squirrel and Thomas' flying squirrel belong in this genus and are native to southeast Asia. The genus Iomys consists of the Javanese flying squirrel, native to Malaysia, and the Mentawi flying squirrel from Indonesia.

    Other Flying Squirrels

    • The remaining species of flying squirrel are the sole members of their genera. The largest species is the wooly flying squirrel which grows to over 3 feet in length. It is a critically endangered species only found in small areas of Pakistan. The namdapha flying squirrel is native to India. The complex-toothed flying squirrel and North Chinese flying squirrels are both natives of China. The hairy-footed and smoky flying squirrels are both found in areas of southeast Asia.