If you live for adorable animals, you’ll want to book a flight to Japan ASAP so you can see the Ezo momonga, a tiny flying squirrel that only lives there and is so tiny and precious that you won’t be able to look at one without going, “Awwww!”
japanese dwarf flying squirrels are so heckin cute pic.twitter.com/7VrX8z1Ae3
— kristine (@kristinecake) July 2, 2017
- They’re native to Hokkaido. The Japanese island of Hokkaido is the only place in the world where you can see the momonga squirrel, also known as the Japanese flying dwarf squirrel. Hokkaido’s location at the very north of Japan makes for some beautiful winter weather which is just perfect for the animal to get cozy in. I need to go NOW!
- They’re just so cute! The Ezo momongo squirrel is known for its big wide eyes and fluffy tail and those tiny little feet. Those features together create one of the most adorable animals ever. They love to eat pine needles, seeds, fruit, and bark and hang out in the trees being cute. To be honest, they’re extremely good at it.
- They can fly too! These babies aren’t just regular squirrels, they’re flying squirrels, meaning they’re able to leap between trees like mini superheroes. As if we didn’t love them enough already!
- They’re very social. They tend to hang out together in trees, though when it’s not mating season (which comes twice a year), they’re usually with squirrels of the same sex. When they do reproduce, it takes the female momonga squirrels about four weeks to gestate their litter and they tend to have two or three (but as many as five!) babies. Pretty cool, huh?
- Thankfully, they don’t face too many natural predators. Lucky for the momonga squirrel, it’s not under much danger from other animals and is able to live a relatively peaceful life. In fact, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists its status as a “least concern species,” which is a relief.
滑空中のエゾモモンガ。今シーズンは滑空シーンを狙います。ちゃんと撮る。 pic.twitter.com/Q4CBwCMGJ6
— PopShiretoko360 (@Popshiretoko360) December 22, 2019
