Here's What You Don't Know About Japan's Adorable Flying Squirrels

The flying squirrel has been around for a while about 18 to 20 million years, and is found mostly on Japan's Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku islands. There are two Old World flying squirrels, the dwarf and the giant. Called the musasabi by locals, the giant squirrel is two feet long and about three pounds,

The flying squirrel has been around for a while — about 18 to 20 million years, and is found mostly on Japan's Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku islands. There are two Old World flying squirrels, the dwarf and the giant. Called the musasabi by locals, the giant squirrel is two feet long and about three pounds, according to The Animal Rescue Site, and it lives in conifer or evergreen forests.

Flying squirrels live four to five years in the wild and 10-15 years in captivity, according to Animalia.com. No matter where the squirrel spends its days, it likes to sleep. Nocturnal creatures, the animals slumber in nests and trees until dusk and then glide through the night. While Japanese flying squirrels don't hibernate, they can snuggle down for days during the winter. According to Hoshino Resorts magazine, the squirrels store food in the autumn for the colder months.

Squirrel moms take good care of their offspring. There are two reproductive seasons each year (winter and summer) for dwarf flying squirrels and the females give birth to just one or two furry babies, according to ADW, because of the amount of time moms spend with them until they can glide well. Newborns share nests with their mothers until they become independent at 12 to 18 months.

You can also see other varieties of flying squirrels in North and Central America, China and parts of Southeast Asia, according to National Geographic.com. So if you're not visiting Japan any time soon, you can still appreciate the wonder of squirrel flight in other destinations.

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