Flying squirrels do not really fly, but rather glide. They have a flap of skin from their ankles to their wrists which helps them glide when jumping from tree to tree by extending their flaps. This flap is called "patagium." Cartilage in the patagium makes the flaps rigid like the wings of a bird. The average gliding distance is from 15 to 50 feet, depending on factors like wind resistance or wind carry. These distances, however, can reach up to 150 feet.
Just like an Eastern gray squirrel, the southern flying squirrel eats and stores nuts for the winter. Other plant and organic foods include berries, lichen and fungi. They store vast amounts of nuts, ranging well over 10,000. They also live in hollows of trees and make their own nests in trees.
Unlike most squirrels, southern flying squirrels squeal, rather than chatter, when apprehensive. They do not hibernate either. During cold weather or times of limited food, they enter communal torpor in tree hollows, but not true hibernation. They are the only truly nocturnal squirrels, foraging for food at night. They are mostly active the whole year.
Southern flying squirrels eat nuts, seeds and acorns like other squirrels, but they also engage in almost predatory activity. A Southern flying squirrel baits moths by chewing the bark from Maple trees so the sap flows to attract them. They consume the sap, too. They also prey on birds -- the young, as well as the eggs. These squirrels eat other insects, picking them apart and leaving the hard, undesirable parts behind. Southern flying squirrels are not above eating the rotting flesh of a dead animal either. This truly separates them from other squirrels.