Canon Pro 90 IS
7mm at f2.8
1/10 second at ISO 50
Of course it's cute!

 

southern flying squirrel Glaucomys volans

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.