The Japanese squirrel (Sciurus lis ) is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus endemic to Japan. It was described by Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1844. The Japanese squirrel's range includes the islands of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū. Recently, populations on south-western Honshū and Shikoku decreased, and those on Kyūshū disappeared. One of the factors affecting the local extinction of this species seems to be forest fragmentation by humans.
In certain areas, up to 35% of its diet can come from walnuts. It is possible the resulting dispersion has affected the evolution of larger seed sizes among Japanese walnut populations where Japanese squirrels are present.Furthermore, Japanese walnut (Juglans ailanthifolia ) is an important food for Japanese squirrels in lowland mixed-species forests in Japan. Japanese squirrels feeding technique consists of opening the hard shell of walnuts by chewing along the crease of the shell, embedding its teeth into the cleft, and airing out the two parts. This strategy seems to be efficient since it minimizes the time to finish eating an entire walnut.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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MycophageMycophagy is the process of organisms consuming fungi. Many different organisms gain their energy from consuming fungi; these include birds, mammal...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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Island endemicIsland endemic animals are found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island. Animals or organisms that are indigenous to a place ar...
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ScansorialScansorial animals are those that are adapted to or specialized for climbing. Many animals climb not only in tress but also in other habitats, such...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withJapanese squirrels belong to tree squirrels which means they live in trees. They have bushy tails, large tufted ears, and sharp claws. Their fur color changes depending on the season. In summer, it is red-orange and in winter the fur becomes gray or light-brown and white under the chin and on the belly.
Japanese squirrels are native to Japan. Their range includes the islands of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Japanese squirrels inhabit lowland to subalpine mixed-species forests and pine forests.
Japanese squirrels are diurnal creatures. They are usually active in the early morning, and during the day they like to sleep in a tree. They live in nests which they build in trees and then switch between them. These squirrels don't hebirnate. To prepare for the winter they store nuts and seeds in their caches. Sometimes they forget locations of the caches they made and may found caches of a different squirrel which they don't hesitate to steal. Japanese squirrels are generally solitary, but during the winter adults may nest together. There is a social hierarchy among males and females; older and heavier individuals are usually more dominant and have larger home ranges.
Japanese squirrels are mainly herbivorous animals. They feed on seeds, nuts, young leaves, flowers and fruits. Sometimes they can also eat insects and fungi.
Japanese squirrels breed from February to March and May to June. Females give birth to 2-6 kittens. The gestation period usually lasts around 39-40 days. Females nurse their young until they reach 62 days of age. Females reach reproductive maturity at around 296 days old and males at 320 days old.
One of the factors affecting the local extinction of Japanese squirrels in Kyushu island is forest fragmentation by humans.
The IUCN Red List and other sources do not provide the Japanese squirrel total population size. This animal is common throughout its known range. Currently this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.