Canon Pro 90 IS 7mm at f2.8 1/10 second at ISO 50

Of course it's cute!

It's meant to be cute! Southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) are possibly the cutest animals in North Carolina. And in this case, I was taking promotional photos for a wildlife rehabilitation organization, so they needed to be cute. This is, of course, a staged photo, since the chances of getting this shot in the wild are very low – these guys are nocturnal, shy, and fast, so most people have no idea there's any such animal in the state at all! But since this is a rehab patient, it's not intended or implied to look wild, and it's actually in a release cage where they get acclimated to the outdoors before heading off on their own. The nice greenery in the background is actually a branch held by the rehabber – you can see the cage wiring peeking through ;-)

So, huge accomplishment for a wildlife photographer? No. But if it gets people to stop and pay attention to the organization, then it has accomplished exactly what was needed.