Captivated by their adorable heart-shaped eyes when perched on a tree branch and their incredible ninja skills while gliding through trees in pitch darkness, one Japanese photographer has been able to capture Hokkaido’s Ezo flying squirrels at their absolute best.
Also known as “forest fairies” or “forest ninjas,” these nocturnal creatures live on the plains throughout Hokkaido and build nests in the forest trees.
Hokkaido native Hiroki Takahashi was once a photographer specializing in landscapes and portraits. However two years ago, when he snapped a picture of the Ezo flying squirrels, his interest diversified, and he began to focus on animals.
“I knew about the existence of the Ezo flying squirrel, but I didn’t know much about its ecology,” Mr. Takahashi told The Epoch Times. “However, after being drawn to the cuteness of the flying squirrel, I became interested and researched [about] it.” Capturing them on camera, though, takes serious patience. Not only are they little—around 6 inches long, and only weighing around 3 ounces—but they’re also rather shy.
“Ezo flying squirrels are very wary and don’t approach people much,” Mr. Takahashi said, “[If you watch them] with a kind heart, don’t put too much pressure on them, sometimes the flying squirrels will get interested and approach you.”
For the photographer, when that occurs an indescribably gentle moment passes, and he feels “healed.”
Apart from their wary nature, another big challenge that Mr. Takahashi faces while photographing the Ezo flying squirrels is the timing—they emerge from their nests after sunset and return before sunrise.
“It quickly becomes too dark to take pictures, even with a mirrorless SLR [camera], so in the morning I search for pitch-black forests before sunrise when the moon and stars are shining, and in the evening, I target holes that are likely to appear before sunset,” Mr. Takahashi said.
Shooting in such dark conditions, Mr. Takahashi uses a 300mm telephoto lens with an aperture of F2.8.
On rare occasions, when he’s especially lucky, one of his subjects will appear during daylight hours. But for the most part, taking successful pictures entails a long wait at night, in bitterly cold Hokkaido winters where temperatures can get as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit).
“When it’s like that, you may not be able to press the shutter because your hands can get frostbite from the cold!” he said.
Over time, Mr. Takahashi has noticed that the Ezo flying squirrels look cuter in the winter months as their fur becomes extra fluffy.
“That’s why [they’re] so popular in winter,“ he said. ”In spring and summer, the temperature is higher, which makes it less [furry].”
Apart from their adorable looks, undoubtedly, one of their most notable charms is their ability to glide—it’s rare to see a squirrel flying!
“It’s difficult to capture the moment because they fly at a speed of 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour, but I’m very happy when I manage to get a good shot,” he said.
“People say things like, ‘What a cute animal,’ ‘I can’t believe fairies like this exist,’ and ‘It looks like it came out of Disney World.’”
For Mr. Takahashi, these comments bring joy as he believes there are no borders when it comes to cuteness.
“I would be happy if I could continue to make people feel happy with cute animals,” he said.
The Ezo flying squirrel was known by the Ainu people as “Akkamui,” but since it was nocturnal, it was officially recorded only in 1921.
However, the Ezo flying squirrel isn’t the only cute animal to dwell in Hokkaido.
“Hokkaido is home to many cute animals, including the Ezo flying squirrel, long-tailed moth, Ezo stoat, Ezo chipmunk, and Ezon pika,” Mr. Takahashi said.
By capturing and sharing his wonderful images, Mr. Takahashi hopes to convey the charm of his region to the rest of the world.
Check out more photos below:
