Japanese dwarf flying squirrel
| Japanese dwarf flying squirrel | |
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| Species: | P. momonga
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| Pteromys momonga Temminck, 1844
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The Japanese dwarf flying squirrel (Pteromys momonga; Japanese: ニホンモモンガ; Hepburn: Nihon momonga) is a type of flying squirrel.
Its body is 14–20 cm long and the tail length is 10–14 cm. It weighs 150–220 g. It is much smaller than the Japanese giant flying squirrel which can reach 1500 g. Its back is covered with grey brown hair, and its belly is white. It has large eyes and a flattened tail.
It inhabits sub-alpine forests in Japan. It is nocturnal, and during the day it rests in holes in trees. It eats seeds, fruit, tree leaves, buds and bark. It can leap from tree to tree using a gliding membrane called the patagium. The patagium works as a wingsuit enabling it to maneuver and glide through the air.[2]
When it feeds, the Japanese dwarf flying squirrel assumes a hanging posture. It will pull a twig to its mouth with its forepaws if the twig is not strong enough to support its weight and obtain food at the tip. While picking up food scattered on the ground, it will extend its body in an intermediate range around its body without moving its hind legs.[3]
Japanese dwarf flying squirrels make their nests in the cavities of tree trunks. Tree cavities are very important nest resources for them. They tend to nest in conifers more than broad-leaved trees.[4]
Japanese dwarf flying squirrels have evolved differently from other sciuridae. The differences between Japanese dwarf flying squirrels and other sciuridae is evident when comparing morphology of the mandible and genetic code. The mandible of the Japanese dwarf flying squirrel does not have a coronoid process unlike the dwarf tree squirrel. The marmota also has a more elongated mandible than the Japanese dwarf flying squirrel. This is due to phylogeny and ecology.[5] There are also large differences in chromosome structure between P. momonga and the only other member of the the Pteromys genus, Pteromys volans. Though they have the same number of chromosomes (2n=38), their karyotypes differ extensively due to pericentric inversions, tandem fusions, and deletion of large segments of the autosomes and the Y chromosome. Because of these deletions, the P. volans genome contains about fifteen percent less DNA than P. momonga. These findings suggest that the karyotype of P. momonga more closely resembles the ancestor of P. volans and P. momonga.[6]
References
- ^ Template:IUCN2008
- ^ Stafford, B. J., Thorington Jr., R. W., & Kawamichi, T. (2002). Gliding Behavior Of Japanese Giant Flying Squirrels (Petaurista Leucogenys). Journal of Mammalogy, 83(2), 553-562.
- ^ Ando, M., Shiraishi, S., & Uchida, T. A. (1985). Feeding behaviour of three species of squirrels. Behaviour, 95(1-2), 76-86. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/14485007?accountid=26746
- ^ Suzuki, K., Shimamoto, T., Takizawa, Y., Kamigaichi, H., Ando, M., & Yanagawa, H. (2011). Nest site characteristics of pteromys momonga in the tanzawa mountains. Honyurui Kagaku/Mammalian Science, 51(1), 65-69. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/907186500?accountid=26746
- ^ Michaux, J., Hautier, L., Simonin, T., & VianeyLiaud, M. (2008). Phylogeny, adaptation and mandible shape in Sciuridae (Rodentia, Mammalia). Mammalia: Journal De Morphologie, Biologie, Systematique Des Mammiferes, 72(4), 286-296.
- ^ Oshida, T., Yanagawa, H., Tsuda, M., Inoue, S., & Yoshida, M. C. (2000). Comparisons of the banded karyotypes between the small japanese flying squirrel, pteromys momonga and the russian flying squirrel, P. volans (rodentia, sciuridae). Caryologia, 53(2), 133-140. Retrieved from www.scopus.com
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