The adults are about ten inches long, nearly half of that tail, with big black eyes and soft, silky fur. Northern flying squirrels prefer nesting in old tree cavities. These cute creatures like to live in mature forests of red spruce and northern hardwoods. They are omnivorous, but love to eat fungi and lichens, a habit that makes them essential players in maintaining forest health. Fungal spores are dispersed through the forest after passing through the squirrels digestive systems.
Tree roots are able to obtain more nutrients from the soil when fungi are present in the soil.
Therefore, healthy forests are dependent on the gliding squirrels. This particular subspecies of squirrel is found only in West Virginia and Virginia, in small isolated populations. Their primary threat is loss of habitat due to logging, road building and mining operations . This info from the Nature Conservancy s website.