Japanese giant flying squirrel

Japanese giant flying squirrel
Japanese giant flying squirrel
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Subfamily: Pteromyinae
Genus: Petaurista
Species: P. leucogenys
Binomial name
Petaurista leucogenys
Temminck, 1844

The Japanese giant flying squirrel (ムササビ musasabi?, Petaurista leucogenys) is a type of flying squirrel. Like other flying squirrels it has a web of skin between its legs which it uses to glide between trees. Glides of 160 metres have been recorded. The tail is used for stability during flight. The body is about 25–50cm long, and the tail a further 30–40cm. It weighs between 700 and 1500g. It is much larger than the related Japanese dwarf flying squirrel which does not exceed 220g.

The squirrel is endemic to the islands of Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku in Japan and in Guangzhou in China. It eats fruit and nuts and lives in holes in large trees. The female has a home range of about a hectare and the male about two hectares.

Sexual maturity is reached after about two years. From winter to early summer the males compete for females. During mating, after ejaculation, the male produces a sticky protein called a coitus plug from his penis which becomes firm and blocks the female's vagina. This may stop semen from leaking out and heighten the chances of fertilization. It also prevents other males from mating with the same female. However males can use their penis to remove the coitus plug. Gestation lasts about 75 days and one or two young are born in early autumn.

References

  1. ^ Ishii, N. & Kaneko, Y. (2008). Petaurista leucogenys. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 6 January 2009.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Japanese giant flying squirrel — japoninė didžioji voverė skraiduolė statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Petaurista leucogenys angl. Japanese giant flying squirrel rus. японская летяга ryšiai: platesnis terminas – didžiosios voverės… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Japanese dwarf flying squirrel — Taxobox name = Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrel status = LR/lc | status system = IUCN2.3 image width = 200px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Rodentia familia = Sciuridae tribus = Pteromyini genus = Pteromys species = P …   Wikipedia

  • Indian Giant Flying Squirrel — Conservation status Least Concern …   Wikipedia

  • Chinese Giant Flying Squirrel — Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Flying squirrel — Taxobox name =flying squirrels fossil range = Early Oligocene Recent image width = 250px image caption = Northern flying squirrel ( Glaucomys sabrinus ) regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata subphylum = Vertebrata classis = Mammalia ordo = Rodentia …   Wikipedia

  • New World flying squirrel — New World flying squirrels Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene Recent Glaucomys volans Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Groove-toothed Flying Squirrel — Conservation status Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Old World flying squirrel — Old World flying squirrels Temporal range: Late Pliocene Recent Japanese dwarf flying squirrel, Pteromys momonga Scientific classification …   Wikipedia

  • Complex-toothed flying squirrel — Temporal range: Early Pleistocene to Recent Conservation status Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Northern flying squirrel — Conservation status Least Concern ( …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”