Most other species of squirrels mate opportunistically and form no lasting bonds. I suspect that the territorial behavior is rooted in another odd characteristic of the Giant in that they appear to form monogamous mating pairs. Unlike their Dwarf cousins, the Giant is highly territorial. Here is a look at one of these awesome guys gliding around! The Japanese Giant is the largest member of the Tree Squirrel/Flying Squirrel Subfamily ( Sciurinae) These animals grow to a length of about 20 inches (longer if you include the tail) and a weight of 700-1,500 grams (roughly between 1-3 pounds). The Japanese Giant is found in the forests on Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu islands in Japan as well as other parts of southern Asia. Like other species of smaller flying squirrels, the Japanese Dwarf is a rather social animal and you can frequently find multiple squirrels in the same tree.Īnimal Diversity Web Reference Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel Facts ( Petaurista leucogenys) The name “Dwarf” is a bit misleading as this squirrel weighs twice as much as it’s American cousin, the Southern Flying Squirrel. The name “Japanese Dwarf” is informal and I suspect it originated as a handy contrast to the name of its larger cousin. The Dwarf is one of two species in the Eurasian Flying Squirrel Genus ( Pteromys) while the Giant is one of eight species in the Asian Giant Flying Squirrel Genus ( Petaurillus). In the Animal Kingdom nomenclature, both of these species are members of the Flying Squirrel Tribe ( Pteromyini) but differ at the Genus level. These animals grow to a length of about 8 inches and a weight of 150-220 grams (less than half a pound).Ī Japanese Dwarf is NOT just a small version of the Japanese Giant. The Japanese Dwarf is found in the forests of Honshu and Kyushu islands in Japan. Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way….These things are cute as heck! Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrel Facts ( Pteromys momonga) Let’s take a look at some facts about Japanese Flying Squirrels and see what makes them special. If you ever find yourself in Japan and you want to have a little squirrely fun, then head out to the woods and see if you can spot the flying squirrels! It turns out that Japan has two types of flying squirrels, the Dwarf and the Giant, and I think they both are pretty interesting.
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