{"id":21933,"date":"2022-11-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=21933"},"modified":"2022-11-21T10:23:23","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T09:23:23","slug":"lift-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/2022\/11\/10\/lift-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Lift off!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A delightful Ezo flying squirrel, with wing-like \u2018patagia\u2019 spread, glides directly above <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Lift off!<\/h2>\n\n

FLYING SQUIRRELS<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

In the forests of Hokkaido, Japan, lives a small, cute, furry mammal with a superpower: it\u2019s the Ezo flying squirrel <\/p>\n\n

Words and photos by <\/em>TONY WU <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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A male squirrel with what Tony describes as a \u201ccontemplative hand position\u201d <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cTHERE IS A MOMENT when it will all come together.\u201d That is what I kept telling myself. For months, I trudged through snow-covered terrain or stood motionless, neck craned, staring high into the trees. Many times I was defeated by their speed and stealth; many times I found myself questioning the decisions that had led me here. I was tempted to give up, but I was too stubborn. I refused to be beaten by a squirrel. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

This prolonged contest of wills commenced quite by accident. In 2019, I was waiting for a fish. I spend the bulk of my time documenting marine life, and this requires planning. Capturing images of reproduction, for instance, necessitates being at a specific location at exactly the right time. Miss the moment and you miss the photo. You could say that I structure my life around the sex lives of fish. <\/p>\n\n

But that year, the ocean was wonky. The animals that I wanted to photograph were nowhere to be seen. And thus I turned my attention to <\/span>Pteromys <\/em>volans <\/em>orii, <\/em>also known as the Ezo flying squirrel (momonga in Japanese), which is only found on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan\u2019s main islands. It was actually my wife who directed my attention to this subject \u2013 she had wanted to see these charismatic creatures for years. They are not particularly rare, but their nocturnal tendencies mean they are not well photographed and that little is known about their behaviour. With nowhere else to focus my pent-up photographic energy, I was game.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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Hokkaido\u2019s forests consist of deciduous and coniferous tree species <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

So, we headed to Hokkaido, and I found myself standing under a tree during a howling blizzard, waiting. Nothing happened, except a dose of frostbite. But I was hooked. I would spend the next three winters on Hokkaido, getting to know its secretive squirrels. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI would spend the next three winters on Hokkaido, getting to know its secretive squirrels\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

The breeding season is an ideal time to study any animal. It\u2019s a time when social activity increases, contests occur and dramas unfold. Ezo flying squirrels don\u2019t hibernate, and they breed in both summer and winter. I chose the winter season for several reasons. Firstly, the squirrels develop fluffy, insulative coats against the cold, which makes them very photogenic. Secondly, there is minimal foliage on the trees, offering good visibility through the forest. Finally, there are no mosquitoes or ticks, and the island\u2019s brown bears are safely asleep. <\/p>\n\n

EZO FLYING SQUIRRELS ARE A subspecies of the Siberian flying squirrel (which occurs across the Eurasian continent between the Baltic Sea and Pacific Ocean) and live in the mixed conifer forests that blanket Hokkaido\u2019s mountains. They live in holes in trees \u2013 both natural cavities and those excavated by other arboreal dwellers, such as woodpeckers \u2013 moving between abodes as and when it suits. Their diet comprises mostly leaves, buds, catkins, seeds and nuts, the menu varying according to location and season. Like other squirrels, they cache meals to see them through leaner times. I watched individuals plucking catkins from their hidey-holes many times, and even spotted one re-purposing an empty nest as a storage bin.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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Forest fragmentation poses a risk to the squirrel, which glides between trees <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

BUT PERHAPS THE MOST STRIKING aspect of these animals is their appearance. They are not particularly big \u2013 males average 17cm in length; females about 15cm, including the length of their tails, and are less than half the weight of an iPhone 13 \u2013 but they are incredibly charismatic, with large round eyes, a little pink nose, extended whiskers, rounded ears and a \u2018smiling\u2019 expression. They also have a way of holding their hands in front of them in a manner that oozes cuteness. They are real-life Pokemons; the very embodiment of Japanese kawaii <\/em>(the culture of cuteness). <\/p>\n\n

Naturally, these traits serve a purpose. Oversized eyes facilitate vision in the hours of low light, when the squirrels are most active; large ears act as an early warning system for predators. The contemplative hand position results from their \u2018patagia\u2019 \u2013 the wide, flat membranes that run along both sides of the animals\u2019 bodies between their fore- and hind-limbs. And it\u2019s the patagia that also gives these animals their most special ability: they can fly. <\/p>\n\n

Technically speaking, squirrels don\u2019t fly per se. Not in the self-propelled fashion of birds, butterflies or bees. They glide \u2013 but they do it extremely well and extremely fast, using their long tails as rudders and brakes. They travel in straight lines and gentle curves, but are also capable of mind-bending aeronautics. They can execute precision manoeuvres through dense woodland, weaving left, right, left and right again, and can throw in 180\u02da U-turns. They can swerve and rollercoaster in the air and make enormous arcs around trees. As I commented to a friend, photographing a flying squirrel is like trying to photograph a tiny F-15 jet flown by a pilot on amphetamines.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

My first few attempts to photograph an airborne squirrel were a complete flop. I was entirely unprepared for the wintery forest, I fumbled with my gear and I knew next to nothing about my subjects. (In my defence, these animals have had millions of years to evolve their speciality; I\u2019ve had about 50. So it\u2019s not really a fair contest).<\/span><\/p>\n\n