How big does a Southern flying squirrel get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) reaches an average size of 12.7 cm (0′ 5″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 12 years, they grow from 3 grams (0.01 lbs) to 72 grams (0.16 lbs). Talking about reproduction, Southern flying squirrels have 3 babies about 2 times per year. The Southern flying squirrel (genus: Glaucomys) is a member of the family Sciuridae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The southern flying squirrel or the assapan (Glaucomys volans) is one of three species of the genus Glaucomys and one of three flying squirrel species 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 distribution for populations of this species have been recorded in the highlands of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Animals of the same family as a Southern flying squirrel
We found other animals of the Sciuridae family:
- Spotted ground squirrel with a size of 14.5 cm (0′ 6″)
- Vordermann’s flying squirrel with a size of 14.8 cm (0′ 6″)
- Tropical ground squirrel with a size of 17.8 cm (0′ 8″)
- Cape ground squirrel with a size of 24.7 cm (0′ 10″)
- Northern Amazon red squirrel with a weight of 700 grams
- Siberian chipmunk with a size of 14.8 cm (0′ 6″)
- Least pygmy squirrel with a size of 8.3 cm (0′ 4″)
- Tufted ground squirrel with a size of 40.6 cm (1′ 4″)
- Allen’s squirrel with a size of 23.4 cm (0′ 10″)
- Nilgiri striped squirrel with 2 babies per litter
Animals with the same size as a Southern flying squirrel
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Southern flying squirrel:
- Yellow-nosed cotton rat with a size of 15.1 cm (0′ 6″)
- Snow Mountains grassland mosaic-tailed rat with a size of 12.7 cm (0′ 5″)
- Salvin’s spiny pocket mouse with a size of 10.8 cm (0′ 5″)
- Beach vole with a size of 12.7 cm (0′ 5″)
- Habbema dasyure with a size of 11 cm (0′ 5″)
- Luzon montane forest mouse with a size of 10.9 cm (0′ 5″)
- Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat with a size of 11.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat with a size of 11.8 cm (0′ 5″)
- Northern red-sided opossum with a size of 13.5 cm (0′ 6″)
- Taiwan vole with a size of 12.3 cm (0′ 5″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Southern flying squirrel
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (3) as a Southern flying squirrel:
- Black-tailed dasyure
- Broad-striped dasyure
- Desert mouse
- Chinese bamboo rat
- Mountain pygmy possum
- Mountain pocket gopher
- Waterhouse’s swamp rat
- California chipmunk
- Red rock rat
- Nyika rock rat
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Southern flying squirrel
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Southern flying squirrel:
- Black giant squirrel with an average maximal age of 10.08 years
- Long-tailed porcupine with an average maximal age of 10.08 years
- Patagonian mara with an average maximal age of 14 years
- Pallas’s long-tongued bat with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Eastern spotted skunk with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Rafinesque’s big-eared bat with an average maximal age of 10.08 years
- Greater hedgehog tenrec with an average maximal age of 10.5 years
- Saiga antelope with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Banded palm civet with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Striped polecat with an average maximal age of 13.33 years
Animals with the same weight as a Southern flying squirrel
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Glaucomys volans:
- Oecomys roberti bringing 73 grams to the scale
- Ash-colored Oldfield mouse bringing 77 grams to the scale
- Slender Oldfield mouse bringing 77 grams to the scale
- Townsend’s chipmunk bringing 79 grams to the scale
- Striped Atlantic Forest rat bringing 67 grams to the scale
- Long-tailed mountain rat bringing 79 grams to the scale
- Webb’s tufted-tailed rat bringing 61 grams to the scale
- Obi mosaic-tailed rat bringing 71 grams to the scale
- Euryoryzomys macconnelli bringing 62 grams to the scale
- Philippine dawn bat bringing 78 grams to the scale