Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel
Petaurista leucogenys
The Japanese giant flying squirrel is one of the world's biggest squirrel species — weighing up to 1.3 kg (2.9 lbs) — but, using its flying membrane, it can still glide distances of over 100 metres (328 ft). Young squirrels learn to glide a few days after first emerging from their nests.
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Like a kami (神) — a Shinto god or spirit — the Japanese giant flying squirrel often lives near forest shrines and temples. Its nocturnal nature only adds to its otherworldliness. It spends the day dozing, hidden in the hollows of trees, and lives out its entire life among the branches, rarely, if ever, venturing to the ground, not even to travel between distant trees. It shuns the ground — the dirt and the dangers of the forest floor — for it can fly.
Along each side of its body — from wrists to ankles — extends a fur-covered membrane known as a patagium. With arms and legs longer than your typical squirrel, it drops from its treetop perch, spreads its limbs as if performing a belly flop, stretching its patagium taut, and catches the air like a furry parachute. Specially adapted structures made from cartilage extend from its wrists, supporting its membrane in flight. It soars through the night air, teetering this way and that to adjust its flight path, its long fuzzy tail streaming behind it. On average, a single glide covers a distance of 50 metres (164 ft), but the record for the farthest glide is a sweeping 160 metres (525 ft). The Japanese giant squirrel’s patagium supports some serious weight; this is one of the world's largest squirrels, weighing up to 1.3 kg (2.9 lb). For comparison, your typical, non-flying grey squirrel weighs around 550g (1.2 lbs).
Where Does It Live?
📍 Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu
⛰️ Sub-alpine and boreal evergreen forests.
‘Least Concern’ as of 20 Aug, 2020.
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One of the largest members of the squirrel family (Sciuridae), this species can weigh up to 1.3 kilograms (2.9 lb).
It is nocturnal and arboreal, spending the daytime resting in tree hollows.
It comes out around 35 minutes after sunset to forage for seeds, leaves, nuts, flowers, bark, etc.
Along each side of its body, from wrists to ankles, extends a fur-covered membrane known as a patagium.
Specially adapted structures made from cartilage extend from its wrists, supporting its membrane in flight.
On average, a single glide covers a distance of 50 metres (164 ft), but the record for the farthest glide is a sweeping 160 metres (525 ft).
