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tiny squirrels

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From: kim smith City: wilmington, IL
We have two squirrel like creatures living in a tree that only come out at night. They have a white underbelly and are only about two inches in body size with a brown bushy tail. They have dark circles around their eyes. Could they be flying squirrels? We have not seen them gliding, just running up and down to a feeder. They grab the food and run back up to eat it.
	Extension Message From: Laura Kammin Visiting Extension Specialist, Pollution Prevention Extension-Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program lkammin@illinois.edu
Good morning, The animals you describe do sound like southern flying squirrels. These are the smallest tree squirrels found in Illinois. They do not hibernate over the winter and are active at night. You can find more information about squirrels at: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/wildlife/directory_show.cfm?species=treesquirrels
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