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Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, is known for its incredible scenery, but it’s also home to some of the cutest animals on the planet. Wildlife photographer Masato Sasaki spends his time documenting all of wonderful the birds and mammals in the area, but there’s one species that stands out as the most adorable of them all—the Ezo-momonga, a subspecies of the Siberian flying squirrel.
Featuring soft gray fur, huge cartoonish eyes, and tiny paws, the Ezo flying squirrel is so adorable, it’s become a symbol of kawaii (cute) culture in Japan. Illustrations of the cute creature are even featured on Sapporo’s metro card. Sasaki is particularly fond of capturing the mostly nocturnal creatures popping their tiny heads in and out of tree burrows. They tend to nest in tree cavities, often using old woodpecker holes or other natural hollows. In one of his videos, some viewers were convinced it was AI-generated because its cuteness seemed almost too perfect to be real.
The Ezo flying squirrel is found primarily in Hokkaido; however, the parent species’s range spans from the Baltic Sea through northern Europe and Russia, extending into Siberia, as well as parts of Mongolia and China. When they aren’t nesting, the tiny flyers can glide up to 100 meters (about 328 feet) in the air using a special wing-like membrane called a patagium. This quirky adaptation helps the squirrel move between trees in search of food or to escape predators.
Check out the photographers images and videos of the Ezo flying squirrel below and find more from his portfolio by following Masato Sasaki on Instagram.
Hokkaido-based wildlife photographer Masato Sasaki documents the adorable Ezo flying squirrel, known locally as Ezo-momonga, a subspecies of the Siberian flying squirrel.
View this post on Instagram
Sasaki is particularly fond of capturing the mostly nocturnal creatures popping their tiny heads in and out of tree burrows.
View this post on Instagram
Featuring soft gray fur, huge cartoonish eyes, and tiny paws, the adorable animal has become a symbol of kawaii (cute) culture in Japan.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
The cuteness seems almost too perfect to be real, but this footage isn’t AI-generated.
View this post on Instagram
Masato Sasaki: Website | Instagram | YouTube
Source: The flying squirrels are busy going in and out of their burrows
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