A squirrel of Japanese forests. It is active by day and continues foraging through winter without hibernating.
It has mainly brown upperparts, a white belly and a bushy tail. The back and tail become grayer in winter.
Even in a city where forests are broken into small patches, Japanese squirrels can move between nearby woods. Researchers radio-tracked 10 squirrels on the northern urban fringe of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, from May 2016 to November 2017. Six squirrels made 47 recorded movements between forest patches. Three squirrels crossed between patches separated by orchards 21 times, and two squirrels moved 18 times between patches connected by roadside trees. Only one squirrel crossed between patches separated by arterial roads, doing so five times.
The study suggests orchards and roadside trees may help connect patches, while arterial roads can limit connectivity. The study area also included tiny urban forests smaller than one hectare.
Japan Ministry of the Environment Red List 2020 · Threatened Local Population (LP) · Kyushu Japanese squirrel and Chugoku Japanese squirrel (regional populations)
Japan’s 2020 Red List lists the “Kyushu Japanese squirrel” (九州地方のニホンリス) and “Chugoku Japanese squirrel” (中国地方のニホンリス) as Threatened Local Populations (LP). A separate 2007 survey examined 363 mountainous sites in Chugoku: squirrels were very rare west of 133°30′ E and relatively common in central and eastern Tottori Prefecture.