Japanese giant flying squirrel

The Japanese giant flying squirrel (ムササビ, musasabi, Petaurista leucogenys) is a species of flying squirrel, one of the giant flying squirrels in the genus Petaurista. It is native to Japan where it inhabits sub-alpine forests and boreal evergreen forests on Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu islands. It grows to a head-and-body length of 50 cm (20 in) with a tail nearly as long again, and has a membrane connecting its wrists and ankles which enables it to glide from tree to tree. It feeds mainly on fruits and seeds. It breeds once a year in the autumn, with one or two young being born in its den. This squirrel faces no particular threats, has a wide range and is relatively common, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as being of "least concern".

Japanese giant flying squirrel
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Sciuridae
Genus:	Petaurista
Species:	P. leucogenys
Binomial name
Petaurista leucogenys Temminck, 1827
Range in red

Distribution

The squirrel is endemic to the islands of Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku in Japan and in Guangzhou in China.

Ecology

Like other flying squirrels it has a web of skin between its legs which it uses to glide between trees. Glides of 160 metres have been recorded. The tail is used for stability during flight. The body is about 25–50 cm long, and the tail a further 30–40 cm. It weighs between 700 and 1500g. It is much larger than the related Japanese dwarf flying squirrel which does not exceed 220g. It eats fruit and nuts and lives in holes in large trees. The female has a home range of about a hectare and the male about two hectares.

Sexual maturity is reached after about two years.[2] From winter to early summer the males compete for females. During mating, after ejaculation, the male produces a sticky protein called a coitus plug from his penis which becomes firm and blocks the female's vagina. This may stop semen from leaking out and heighten the chances of fertilization. It also prevents other males from mating with the same female. However males can use their penis to remove the coitus plug. Gestation lasts about 74 days and one or two young are born in early autumn.[3]

References

1. Ishii, N. & Kaneko, Y. (2008). "Petaurista leucogenys". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)old-form url
2. Kawamichi, Takeo. "The age of sexual maturity in Japanese giant flying squirrels, Petaurista leucogenys." Mammal Study 22.1+ 2 (1997): 81-87.
3. Kawamichi, Takeo. "Biannual reproductive cycles in the Japanese giant flying squirrel (Petaurista leucogenys)." Journal of Mammalogy 91.4 (2010): 905-913.