Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrel

This is one of the flying squirrel species. They are smaller as compared to Japanese giant flying squirrels. Majorly, this species lives in sub-alpine forest that is found in Japan. They are 14-20 centimeters and their tail is about 10-14 centimeters. They approximately weigh 150- 220 grams. They are nocturnal; both female and male are of the same size. Their berry is white and their back covered with grey brown hair. It has a tail that is flattened and large eyes. During the day, you can only find them in holes in trees. The nests that these types of squirrels live are called dreys and can easily are seen on trees. These nests are made on tree cavities and tree trunks. Such nests are build using leaves and sticks wrapped with strands of grass. Western squirrel makes two nests. One of these two nests is larger in size and well covered. They use this nest in winter and also taking care of young ones. It leaps from one tree to the other using a membrane known as patagium. The Japanese dwarf flying squirrel eats various types of foods. They include seeds, walnuts, acorns and other types fungi that are found in the forest. It takes a hanging posture when eating. In case it wants to pick food that is spread on the ground, it will only extend its body within its immediate radius without necessarily moving the hind legs. This species was first found in Canada, western North America and in the United States. It is the only species that has evolved differently from other sciuridae. If you compare the morphology of mandible and genetic code, you will realize a great difference between Japanese dwarf flying squirrel and other sciuridae. The Japanese dwarf flying squirrel has a mandible which has a coronoid process which the dwarf tree squirrel lacks. It has also a less elongated mandible compared to marmot. Though they are of the same species, they as well have different genetic codes. Pteromys Volans and pteromys momonga have different karyotypes but same number of chromosomes. This difference came about due to tandem fusion, inversion or deletion of Y chromosomes and autosomes. Pteromys Volans has fifteen percent DNA as compared to pteromys momonga. This is a brief history of Japanese dwarf flying squirrels, how they live and their habitat and what they feed on. They are very unique species in the flying squirrels family.

Greater Glider

The greater glider (Petauroides volans) is a small gliding marsupial found in Australia. It is not closely related to the Petaurus group of gliding marsupials but instead to the lemur-like ringtail possum (Hemibelideus lemuroides), with which it shares the subfamily Hemibelideinae. The greater glider is nocturnal and is a solitary herbivore feeding almost exclusively on Eucalyptus leaves and buds. Like its relative the lemur-like ringtail, the greater glider is found in two forms: a sooty brown form, or a grey-to-white form. The greater glider is found in eucalypt forest from Mossman, Queensland, to Daylesford, Victoria. Greater gliders have a head and body about 39 to 43 centimetres (15 to 17 in) long, with the females being generally larger than the males. Their body is covered with a shaggy coat of fur that increases their apparent size, and the tail is long and bushy, ranging from 44 to 53 centimetres (17 to 21 in). The head is short, but with a pointed muzzle, and large ears fringed and backed with long fur. Each side of the body bears membranes stretching between the elbow and the ankle, that give the animal the ability to perform controlled glides. This is in contrast to other gliding marsupials (such as the sugar glider) that have gliding membranes stretching from the wrists to the ankles. The feet have strongly recurved claws to grip onto bark or other surfaces. There are five toes on each foot, with the first toe on the hind foot, and the first two toes on the fore foot, being opposable. The fur is soft and up to 60 millimetres (2.4 in) long; the colour is variable within the same populations, ranging from white to brown and charcoal. Body mass varies clinally from about 1,600 grams (3.5 lb) in southern Victoria to about 600 grams (1.3 lb) in north Queensland. Heat management in the greater glider is performed by licking extremities and the ventral body surface, with direct evaporation being the main method of the cooling. Furthermore, the glider can use its gliding membranes to reduce heat loss by increasing the layer of insulation at the skin surface. However, the greater glider is not well equipped to handle high ambient temperatures, as it inefficiently uses water for evaporation via salivation even though arboreal habitats are often limited in water accessibility.