| pred•a•tor [ˈpredətər] an animal that naturally preys on others prey [prā] an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food ========== Some animals are carnivores - they must eat meat to survive. These animals can be predators or scavengers. Flying squirrels are prey animals, and they have many predators. Some common predators that flying squirrels encounter during their night forays, depending upon geographic area, are:
Predator Avoidance A flying squirrel is ever-alert to potential predators. If they are not, they are dead. It is as simple as that! Many flying squirrel predators locate their prey by a combination of sound and movement (there are exceptions, of course - snakes locate their prey via a combination of smell, warmth, and vibration). A flying squirrels' pelage is designed to allow it to blend in with its surroundings, and when a flying squirrel detects the presence of a predator, its first instinct is to remain stock-still and not make a sound. This behaviour will prevent a predator, hopefully, from "zeroing-in" on the location of the flyer in question, lose interest, and leave the area for "greener pastures". This period of immobility also serves to allow the flying squirrel some time to decide upon its method and/or route of escape, should the predator attack. Flying squirrels, with the exception of juveniles, know their home range like the back of their paws! Every single refuge is known to them, and all the best routes to get to each refuge as well. The most dangerous period in a flying squirrel's life is when it is a juvenile, or a "teenager". Inexperience in dealing with predators of various species, combined with an un-honed locomotion skill-set, minimal knowledge of its environs, and a propensity for risk-taking make young flyers an easy target. We see high mortality rates in juvenile flying squirrels, far higher than that found any other age group. A flying squirrels' visual acuity is likely limited to seeing only blurred movement at at great distances. Because it has eyes on the sides of its head, it cannot judge with impunity how far away a predator may be until it is too late. So you can see, life is a precious commodity for many prey animals. If a predator is not fooled by a flying squirrel remaining perfectly still, it will attack. This is a time when all a flying squirrels arboreal abilities come into play. Through a combination of running, jumping and gliding, the squirrel will attempt to get to a refugia before being attacked. When a flying squirrel is being being watched or followed by an owl while gliding, it will instinctlivey run to the other side of it's landing spot in order to avoid being taken. In fact, this instinctual behaviour is so well-ingrained, you can watch wild flyers perform this manoeuver as a precaution, even when no owls are in the vicinity. |
 Photo courtesy Ethan Meleg The great horned owl is a flying squirrel's biggest nightmare! |
 Photo courtesy Ethan Meleg Arboreal snakes, (such as this fox snake), may eat ALL the occupants of a natal nesting cavity, as its body will often block the only route of escape. |
 Screech owls visit our feeding station once in a while - only to watch the action, nothing else. Northern flying squirrels are, as a rule, too large to be on a screech owl's dinner plate, but southern flying squirrels and juvenile northern flying squirrels had better keep an eye out! |
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 This fisher met an untimely death. Fishers are dog-like creatures that are as adept at hunting for food in the trees as they are on the ground. |
 Massasauga rattlesnakes are lazy snakes - they "hunt" at night by sitting very still and waiting for a small mammal to cross their path. Flying squirrels spend the vast majority of foraging time in the trees, but do come down to the ground to bury food and to dig for underground fungi, so it is at these times a massasauga rattlesnake can grab a nice midnight snack. |
 Here are the regurgitated remains of a northern flying squirrel. Fur, bones and claws are all that remain after an owl's meal. |
 This is a regurgitated pellet from a great horned owl. Basically, it contains whatever the owl's digestive system could not use - fur, feathers, nails and bones. This particular pellet is the largest complete specimen the author has ever seen - it is the size of a Grade A egg! |
 The common house cat doesn't look very scary, but they are one of the most devastating predators of flying squirrels in urban, suburban, and rural areas across North America. Please keep kitty indoors! |
 These young raccoons, sound asleep in their natal nest, will one day savour the taste of flying squirrel steak! |
 Domestic house cats, feral or cared-for, are not natural predators within any North American forest ecosystem. Period. These tails are all that's left of two southern flying squirrels, thanks to uncaring humans who let their domestic house cats roam free in the forest at night. Domestic house cats are killing machines. Untold milliions of small mammals and songbirds are killed in North America every year by these felines. Please keep kitty indoors. |
 Flying squirrels have "breakaway" tails, as do many other species of squirrel. This is a real advantage, as a predator may only end up with a mouthful of tail, while the squirrel itself scampers away to a safe haven, its ego the only casualty. |