The Adorable Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrels

Japanese dwarf flying squirrels inhabit the sub-alpine and boreal evergreen forests of Japan. We are a member of the Sciuridae family, which includes small and medium sized rodents. We prefer to stay in the trees, hanging off branches and eating much healthier vegan foods such as leaves, seeds, buds, cones, sprouts, berries and nuts.

There are two types of Japanese flying squirrels: Pteromys Momonga and Ezo Momonga. The reason we are called “dwarves” is because of our tiny size. When we curl up our body, we look just like a tiny cotton ball. The only way to distinguish Pteromys from Ezo Momongas is by the color of our fur. Pteromys Momongas have gray-brown hair on their backs with white hair on their bellies, while Ezo Momongas are mostly coated with gray fur and have a blackish belly. As we lie flat against the trees, we camouflage so well that we can blend in with the tree bark and look just like a bump on the tree. This is how we keep ourselves safe and sound.

Believe it or not, even though we are called flying squirrels, we don’t actually fly, we glide. We can glide amazing distances thanks to our special wing-like membranes called patagia. Our patagium starts at our wrists and goes all the way down to our ankles. It works as a wingsuit that helps us maneuver easily from one tree to another. When we land on a tree, our dense, bushy tail helps us to balance our body and also works as an air brake.

We normally live for a meaningful and enjoyable four to five years on Earth. We love to help humans in our own way. By eating pine seeds, we disperse them widely, so that the pine trees have a better chance of surviving and spreading further around the forest. We love to be a part of the ecosystem and nurture the environment around us as much as possible. Plus, we secretly know that humans invented gliding suits only after seeing us glide so well with our special wing-like patagia. We are happy to contribute to the human world as much as we can.