Squirrel - squirrel (English spelling)

Japanese: リス - りす（英語表記）squirrel

A general term for animals belonging to the tribe Sciuridae, order Rodentia, family Sciuridae, and tribe Mammalia. A small, diurnal mammal that lives in trees, it is also called the gray mouse because of its resemblance to a mouse, but it has a relatively long body and limbs, and large, prominent eyes. Its tail is almost as long as its body, and is characterized by a dense covering of long tufts of hair. It is widely distributed in tropical and boreal forests around the world, except Australia, including Eurasia, Africa, and most of North and South America. Representative species include the gray squirrel in North America, the Mikellis in Southeast Asia, and the red squirrel in Europe. In Japan, there are two species, the Hokkaido squirrel, a subspecies of the red squirrel, and the Japanese squirrel, which is endemic to Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Although both species descend to the ground, they prefer to be active in trees, moving from branch to branch by repeatedly jumping several meters. They build their nests in tree holes, or on branches by arranging twigs and other nesting materials. They are primarily herbivorous, feeding mainly on seeds and fruit, as well as buds, leaves, and mushrooms, but occasionally feed on animal matter such as insects and bird eggs. Along with monkeys, they are known as one of the few mammals with developed color vision, and while most mammals generally have a dull body color, they contain many species with vivid body colors. Closely related animal groups include the same Sciuridae family, but the terrestrial chipmunks, which rarely climb trees and build their nests underground, and the subterranean ground squirrels, which build complex tunnels underground. All of these have stocky bodies and short tails compared to arboreal squirrels. In a broad sense, these are all sometimes referred to as squirrels. Flying squirrels and flying squirrels, which have flying membranes, are also from the same Sciuridae family and live in trees, but are nocturnal, meaning that they use forests at different times of the day compared to squirrels.

The two species of squirrels that live in Japan were once treated as the same species, and look very similar, but the Hokkaido squirrel is slightly larger, with a body length of 22-27 cm and a tail length of 15-20 cm. The back of the body is gray-brown or brownish-brown, the underside is white, and the tail hair is dark all the way to the tip. The Japanese squirrel is 15-22 cm long and the tail length is 13-17 cm. The back of the body is brown, and in the summer fur the lower sides of the body and the upper parts of the limbs are bright orange. The underside is white, and the tips of the tail hair are white. In the winter fur of both species, the tips of the ears have prominent tufts of hair that are more than 3 cm long. They normally live in forests and woodlands from the plains to about 2,400 meters above sea level in all areas except Kyushu and Shikoku, but when they see people they skillfully hide by going around to the other side of a tree trunk, making them less noticeable. However, in the season when seeds of pine, walnut, oak, hazel, etc. are ripe, they visit these trees every day and spend a long time eating and storing them, so they become more visible. They are active from early morning to around noon, and are not active in the afternoon. They give birth two to three times a year from spring to autumn, with two to six babies per litter. The babies are born naked and weigh 8 to 12 grams. Their fur begins to grow after 10 to 13 days, and their eyes open after 30 days. They start to leave the nest at about 45 days old, and at first they only move around near the nest, but gradually they start to go further away, and some become independent after about 8 weeks. They live for 7 to 8 years. Formosan squirrels, native to Taiwan, have become wild in Izu Oshima, near Kamakura City, and Komazawa Park in Tokyo, but they can be distinguished by their body color, which is gray or light green-brown on the back and gray-brown on the underside, and because they do not have long tufts of hair on their ears in their winter fur.

[Yoshiharu Imaizumi]

Folklore

In Japan, there are regions where it is said that squirrels are demons. When one is killed, countless squirrels appear in the vicinity. They are said to know magic. There is also a legend in which a squirrel appears as a mountain ascetic and tells fortunes. The Ainu people of Hokkaido say that the sandals of the saint Aweoina were transformed, and they hold a squirrel's skull and offer sake to it. It is said that it is demonic, and if a squirrel spits on you, you will contract an incurable disease, and if you find a squirrel, you should shoot it. The Nivkhi (Gilyak) people of Sakhalin Island say that the Harofin Milk (demon) that lives in the fields takes the form of a squirrel. It cries loudly, and one in three people who hear it will faint. It is said that the mountain god in charge of hunting also wears a squirrel's fur. In the mythology of the Icelandic Edda, a squirrel constantly climbs up and down the tree to convey the words of an eagle that lives in the tops of Yggdrasil, the giant ash tree at the center of the world, to the monster snake Nidhoga at the tree's roots. There are also legends in Mongolia that portray squirrels as talkative animals. In Europe, animals such as cats are roasted in celebratory fires to ward off evil spirits, but in Germany, squirrels are roasted at Easter fire festivals. In the myths of the origin of fire among Native Americans, there is a story about animals relaying fire stolen from a god, but in the myths of the Navajo people, for example, agile squirrels play an important role.

[Yo Kojima]

Chipmunk
Distributed in Hokkaido, Sakhalin, Siberia, Mongolia, the Korean Peninsula, and China. Body color is ochre, with five black vertical stripes on the back. Lives in forests, shrubs, and rocky areas, and prefers areas near water. Good at climbing trees, but mostly active on the ground. Head and body length 12-16cm, tail length 9-13cm, weight 90-100g ©Shogakukan ">

Chipmunk

Formosan squirrel
Distributed in Myanmar, Thailand, and the Malay Peninsula. The body color is gray or light greenish brown on the back. It lives in forests, secondary forests, cultivated land, parks, etc. and mainly moves in trees, but is not very good at climbing. Head and body length 18-24 cm, tail length 17-21 cm, weight 260-300 g ©Shogakukan Photo / Hideyuki Asakura ">

Formosan squirrel

Japanese squirrel (Hondoris squirrel)
Distributed in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The body color is different between winter and summer fur. It lives in coniferous forests and mixed forests from the plains to the alpine zone, and spends most of its time in the trees. Head and body length 18-24 cm, tail length 17-21 cm, weight 260-300 g. ©Shogakukan ">

Japanese squirrel (Hondoris squirrel)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

哺乳(ほにゅう)綱齧歯(げっし)目リス科リス族に含まれる動物の総称。樹上にすむ昼行性の小形の哺乳類で、姿がネズミに似るためキネズミともよばれるが、体と四肢が比較的長く、目は大きく目だつ。尾は体とほぼ同じ長さがあり、長い房毛を密生するのが特徴。ユーラシア、アフリカ、南北アメリカの大部分など、オーストラリアを除く世界中の熱帯から寒帯の森林に広く分布する。代表的な種に、北アメリカのハイイロリス、東南アジアのミケリス、ヨーロッパのキタリスなどがあり、日本には北海道にキタリスの亜種であるエゾリス、本州、四国、九州に固有種のニホンリスの2種が生息する。いずれの種も地上に降りるが、樹上での行動を好み、木の枝から枝へ、数メートルのジャンプを繰り返しながら移動する。巣は木の洞の中、または枝上に小枝などの巣材を組んでつくられる。基本的には種子と果実を中心とし、芽、葉、キノコなども食べる植物食性であるが、ときに昆虫や鳥の卵などの動物質もとることがある。サル類とともに目の色覚が発達する数少ない哺乳動物として知られ、一般にじみな体色のものが多い哺乳類のなかにあって、鮮やかな体色の種を多く含む。近縁の動物群に、同じリス科であるが木に登ることが少なく、巣も地中につくる地上生のシマリス類、地下に複雑なトンネルをつくる地下生のジリス類などがある。いずれも樹上生のリスに比べて体がずんぐりして、尾が短い。広義にはこれらを含めてリスとよぶことがある。また、飛膜をもつムササビ、モモンガ類は同じリス科でしかも樹上生であるが、夜行性であり、リスとは時間的に森林を使い分けていることになる。

　日本に生息する2種のリスはかつては同じ種として扱われていたことがあって、よく似ているが、エゾリスのほうがやや大形で、体長22～27センチメートル、尾長15～20センチメートル。体色は、背面が灰褐色かあるいは茶褐色。腹面は白色。尾の毛は先端まで黒みが強い。ニホンリスは、体長15～22センチメートル、尾長13～17センチメートル。体色は、背面が茶色で、夏毛では体側下部と四肢上部が鮮やかなオレンジ色を呈する。腹面は白色。尾の毛の先端が白い。ともに冬毛では、耳の先端に長さ3センチメートル以上のよく目だつ房毛を生じる。九州、四国を除いて各地の平地から海抜2400メートルぐらいまでの森林、雑木林に普通に生息するが、人を見ると木の幹の反対側に回り込むなど、巧みに身を隠すため目だたない。しかし、マツ、クルミ、ナラ、ハシバミなどの種子が実る季節には、これらの木を連日訪れ、長時間食事や貯蔵に費やすため、目にすることが多くなる。活動時間は早朝から昼ごろまでで、午後はあまり動かない。春から秋にかけて年に2～3回、1産2～6子を産む。子は赤裸で生まれ、体重8～12グラム。毛は10～13日で生え始め、30日で目が開く。巣を出始めるのは生後45日ぐらいからで、初め巣の近くを動き回るだけであるが、しだいに遠出するようになり、8週間ぐらいから独立するものも現れる。寿命は7～8年。なお、伊豆大島、鎌倉市近辺、東京の駒沢(こまざわ)公園などに台湾原産のタイワンリスが野生化しているが、体色は、背面が灰色または淡緑褐色、腹面が灰褐色であり、冬毛に耳の長い房毛を生じないので区別できる。

［今泉吉晴］

民俗

日本にはリスは魔物であると伝えている地方がある。1匹殺すと、そのあたりに無数のリスが現れる。魔術を心得ているという。リスが山伏(やまぶし)として登場し、占いをする伝説もある。北海道のアイヌ民族では、聖者アウェオイナの草履(ぞうり)が変成したといい、リスの髑髏(どくろ)を保持して、酒を供えて拝む。やはり魔的で、リスに唾(つば)をかけられると、不治の病にかかると伝え、リスをみつけたら射殺すという。サハリン島のニブヒ（ギリヤーク）人は、野原にいるハロフィン・ミルク（悪魔）はリスの姿をしているという。大声で鳴き、それを聞くと3人に1人は腰を抜かす。狩猟をつかさどる山の神も、リスの毛皮を着ているという。アイスランドのエッダの神話では、世界の中心にある巨大なトネリコの木イグドラシルの梢(こずえ)にいるワシのことばを木の根にいる怪蛇ニドーガに伝えるために、リスが絶えず上り下りしているという。リスをおしゃべりな動物とする伝えはモンゴルにもある。ヨーロッパには、魔除(まよ)けのために、祝祭の火でネコなどの動物を焼くが、ドイツでは復活祭の火祭りでリスを焼く。北アメリカ先住民の火の起源神話には、神から盗んだ火を動物がリレーする話があるが、ナバホ人の神話などでは、すばしっこいリスが活躍している。

［小島瓔］

シマリス
北海道、樺太（サハリン）、シベリア、モンゴル、朝鮮半島、中国に分布。体色は黄土色で、背側には5本の黒い縦縞がある。森林、低木林、岩地などにすみ、水辺近くを好む。木登りがうまいが、おもに地表で活動する。頭胴長12～16cm、尾長9～13cm、体重90～100g©Shogakukan">

シマリス

タイワンリス
ミャンマー、タイ、マレー半島に分布。体色は背側が灰色または淡緑褐色。森林、二次林、耕作地、公園などにすみ、おもに樹上で行動するが、木登りはさほど巧みではない。頭胴長18～24cm、尾長17～21cm、体重260～300g©Shogakukan　撮影／朝倉秀之">

タイワンリス

ニホンリス（ホンドリス）

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