Real life pokemon: Footage of tiny and adorable Japanese dwarf flying squirrels will leave you in awe
Japanese dwarf flying squirrels can only be found in two remote Japanese islands.
Located in the Japanese islands Honshu and Kyushu, these tiny creatures are extremely fluffy and adorable. Although it has been reported that there are around fifty different species of flying squirrels, these specific rodents (Pteromys momonga) are said to be one of the two Old World flying squirrels in the genus Pteromys. They are exceptionally small and light as they measure around 14-20 centimetres and weigh between 150-220 grams, according to UNILAD. In addition to this, Animalia explains that the life expectancy of these adorable creatures is unknown; however, they are believed to live between 4-5 years in the wild and around 10-15 years when they are in captivity.
Despite their name, these rodents do not actually have the ability to fly.
Even though they are commonly known as Japanese dwarf flying squirrels, they do not fly. Instead, these little squirrels glide using a furry membrane which allows them to transport themselves for long distances of up to 100 meters at a time. This ability, according to Animalia, allows the tiny squirrels to escape their predators and move swiftly between trees.
Images and videos of these adorable creatures can be seen below:
japanese dwarf flying squirrels are so heckin cute pic.twitter.com/7VrX8z1Ae3
— kristine (@kristinecake) July 2, 2017
Japanese dwarf flying squirrels are our new favourite animal! 😍#SuperSquirrels pic.twitter.com/WLAdhvMgl7
— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) June 19, 2018
If you want to see these adorable creatures, you would have to embark on quite a long journey all the way to the remote islands of Japan. Nevertheless, we are certain that coming across Japanese dwarf flying squirrels would be worth the trek.
