Flying Squirrel vs Sugar Glider: How to Tell Them Apart

The location tells you almost everything. Flying squirrels are wild in the US and found in forests from coast to coast. If you see a gliding animal in a forest at night in Alabama wildlife or Arkansas regions, it is a flying squirrel. Sugar gliders are not found wild anywhere in the US. If you encounter one outside a home or pet store, it has escaped or been released from captivity. Look at the tail. A flying squirrel has a very bushy, flat tail that resembles a feather or a paddle. A sugar glider has a thin, rope-like tail. Look at the ears. Flying squirrel ears are small and partly hidden in fur. Sugar glider ears are larger and more prominent. Finally, check the body size and build. Flying squirrels look fuzzier and rounder. Sugar gliders look more slender despite similar body length.

Both animals measure about five to six inches in body length, making them similar in overall size. However, the resemblance ends there. Flying squirrels weigh about two to three ounces and appear very fluffy. Their fur is dense and their body looks rounded. The head is relatively large compared to the body. The ears are small and partially covered by fur. Sugar gliders weigh two to four ounces and appear more delicate. They have shorter, less dense fur and a sleeker appearance. The head is proportionally smaller and the ears are larger and more visible. Flying squirrel tails are notably bushy and flattened like a feather. The tail is thick and furry. Sugar glider tails are thin and whip-like with almost no fur. These tails are prehensile, meaning they can curl around branches. A flying squirrel uses its flat tail for balance and steering during glides. A sugar glider uses its thin tail for gripping.

Flying squirrels are native to North America and found across the US in suitable forests. The Northern Flying Squirrel lives in coniferous and mixed forests of the northern US, Canada, and high mountains. The Southern Flying Squirrel lives in hardwood forests throughout the eastern and central US and along the Pacific Coast. Flying squirrels are found from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Flying squirrels inhabit Alabama and Arkansas forests regularly. Sugar gliders are not native to North America and do not occur wild in the US. They are native only to eastern Australia, Tasmania, and nearby areas. Sugar gliders are sometimes kept as exotic pets in the US, and occasionally animals escape or are released. Any sugar glider seen in the US is either captive or recently escaped. No breeding populations exist in the wild in North America. This geographic fact is your best confirmation when trying to identify which animal you encountered.

Flying squirrels are strictly nocturnal. They rest in tree cavities or nests during the day and emerge only at night to forage and glide. They eat seeds, nuts, fungi, berries, and insects. Flying squirrels navigate using sight and can see in very low light. They glide from tree to tree by spreading their membrane-like skin folds. These folds connect the front and back legs and extend along the sides. A glide can cover 40 to 50 feet or more. Flying squirrels are generally solitary or live in small family groups. Sugar gliders are also primarily nocturnal in the wild. In captivity, they often adjust to a more daytime schedule. Sugar gliders are very social animals, living in colonies of up to 15 individuals in the wild. They communicate frequently with vocalizations including chirps, barks, and coughs. Sugar gliders eat plant matter and insects. They are more vocal and social than flying squirrels.

Start by considering location. If you saw this animal wild in a forest anywhere in the US, it is definitely a flying squirrel. No sugar gliders are wild in North America. If the animal was in someone's home or a pet shop, it could be either but is more likely a sugar glider. Look at the tail carefully. A bushy, flat tail like a feather indicates a flying squirrel. A thin, whip-like tail indicates a sugar glider. Check the fur. Flying squirrel fur is very dense and fluffy. Sugar glider fur is shorter and sleeker. Look at the ears. Small, partially hidden ears mean flying squirrel. Larger, prominent ears mean sugar glider. Listen for sounds. Sugar gliders vocalize often with chirps and calls. Flying squirrels are usually silent. If you saw it gliding at night in a forest, flying squirrel. If you saw it as a pet or escaping from a home, likely sugar glider.

The biggest confusion is that they both glide, making people think they are related or the same animal. In fact, they are not closely related at all. Flying squirrels are rodents while sugar gliders are marsupials, two very different mammal groups. Another myth is that sugar gliders are native to the US or found wild here. They are never found wild in North America. All sugar gliders in the US are pets or escaped pets. Some people believe flying squirrels and sugar gliders can interbreed. They cannot because they are not even the same type of mammal. Another false idea is that flying squirrels do not actually glide but instead just fall. Flying squirrels use their membrane and body position to glide long distances with control and precision. Some people think sugar gliders are a type of flying squirrel. They are not. They are Australian marsupials in a completely different family of mammals. Finally, some believe both animals are rare. Flying squirrels are common throughout the US wherever suitable forests exist.