Sciurus lis
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Japanese squirrel (Sciurus lis) is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus endemic to Japan. It is closely related to and similar to the red squirrel. The Japanese squirrel was described by Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1844. It was historically classified as a subspecies of Sciurus vulgaris, the Eurasian red squirrel, although scientific opinion shifted towards classifying it as a distinct species beginning in the 1960s. The Japanese squirrel is nonetheless closely related to the red squirrel, and originated from a population of red squirrels that colonized the Japanese archipelago in the Pleistocene and speciated into a distinct population due to the isolation of the islands from the Eurasian mainland. Recognizable Sciurus lis remains appear in the fossil record beginning in the Middle Pleistocene.
Japanese squirrels range from 16–22 centimetres (6.3–8.7 in) in body length from the head to the base of the tail, which makes up a further 13–17 centimetres (5.1–6.7 in). Their typical body weight is 250–310 grams (8.8–10.9 oz).
Japanese squirrels have red-brown fur on their bodies and tails, with orange patches sometimes present... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sendai | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nasu Animal Kingdom | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 2 | Sapporo Maruyama Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 3 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Inokashira Park Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 5 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 6 | Ōmiya Park Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 7 | Sendai Umino-Mori Aquarium | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 8 | Okinawa Zoo & Museum | 🇯🇵 Japan |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Squirrel sighting in Sendai on a given day, based on 1,534 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 11 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to October
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Squirrel in Sendai on a given day, against about 50% in July, the lowest month.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Japanese Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Sendai, in our data
Sendai is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Japanese Squirrel sightings: about 80% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Japanese Squirrel that you can see in Sendai (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Large Japanese Field Mouse (about 10%) and Brown Rat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Japanese Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Sendai (1,534 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
