Japanese Squirrel

Japanese Squirrel
Character Data
Japanese Name: ニホンリス Romanised Name: Nihonrisu First Featured in: Kemono Friends (2015 Game)
Animal Data
Scientific Name: Sciurus lis Distribution: Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū Diet: Herbivore Average Lifespan in the Wild: Unknown Read More: Japanese squirrel Conservation Status:

Japanese Squirrel​

Nexon Game

Japanese Squirrel is a type of Friend that appeared in the original Kemono Friends mobile game.

Series Appearances

Appearances In Kemono Friends Media

Media		Role

In Real Life

This image is of a Japanese Squirrel, The original Image credit goes to The Website of Everything.

The Japanese Squirrel is normally found in the islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu in Japan. They have reddish grey fur with tufted ears. Sharp claws and bushy tails. However, in the winter, their fur changes color, to become light brown and white to camouflage in the snow. This is also why they do not hibernate during the cold seasons. They are typically 18 to 22 cm long.

The Japanese Squirrel is a herbivorous squirrel. For food, the squirrel typically eats nuts, seeds, and leaves. Their teeth are specifically designed for cutting open seeds and nuts, and shredding leaves, for this reason. Their teeth are also known to grow continuously to compensate for any wear that the teeth get when they eat. They normally live in trees, so this is why their diet is normally isolated to things found in or around trees. They store nuts and seeds within the trees for the winter, as they don’t have enough food during the time

The Japanese Squirrel is classified as Least Concern, so it has no risk of being extinct. Their major predator is domestic cats and dogs, and foxes. Other animals such as raptors and crows are also known to hunt down Japanese Squirrels. It is to be noted that it is illegal to hunt Japanese Squirrels in Japan, so this is a large reason why the animal has been able to flourish in it’s habitat and not suffer from any population shortages in the past.

References

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sciurus_lis/

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2002/02/01/environment/japanese-squirrel/

http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/mammals/Rodentia/Sciuridae/Sciurus/Sciurus-lis.html

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