Northern flying squirrel records span Michigan’s boreal forest belt, from Ottawa National Forest and Keweenaw National Historical Park in the western Upper Peninsula to Huron-Manistee National Forests farther south. As a strictly nocturnal glider, the species is almost never seen in daylight, so most records trace back to nest-box surveys or chance flashlight encounters.
August alone accounts for nearly half the year’s reports, a spike that likely reflects late-summer trapping surveys more than a true seasonal peak in activity. GBIF’s 267 records outnumber iNaturalist’s 57 by nearly five to one, underscoring how much of this species’ documentation comes from research trapping rather than public sightings.
Full species profile
