By Saloni Mathur
THE MOST ADORABLE Ezo flying squirrel has been captured gliding through the air.
Images show the intrepid Ezo flying squirrel with its arms and legs spread out revealing its ‘wings’ as it swoops over the photographer.
Other pictures show more of the cuddly creatures huddled up on snowy branches in Hokkaido, Japan.
The Ezo flying squirrels or Ezo-momonga are a subspecies of the Siberian flying squirrel.
They are native to Hokkaidō, Japan, part of the region once known as Ezo.
This is a tiny species of squirrel that grows to a length of 0.6 feet and despite being known as the “flying squirrel” these fluff balls don’t really fly but glide with a membrane, stretching from their forelimbs to hind limbs and covered with fur.
They are known to glide long distances over 300 feet at a time, using this ability to move between trees or escape predators.
During the day they will hide in a hole, usually in a coniferous tree, emerging at night to feed on buds, leaves, bark, fruits and seeds.
These cute fluff-balls were snapped by Hiroki Takahashi, a wildlife photographer from Japan.
“Flying squirrels are nocturnal, so it is very difficult to find them. Many times, when it is still dark, you have to wait for several hours from the time when the stars are out,” he said.
“Gliding in the dark is a fleeting event so it’s not easy to capture. I often fail, but I go to the forest every day and take every opportunity to take their pictures.
“The flight direction is not fixed, so I make an educated guess about their path and set up the camera, and when my guess fits and one of them flies over, I’m elated.
“These squirrels are cute when they are flying, but they are also very cute when they are perched on a branch.
“Watching them always heals my heart.”
ENDS.
