When I first laid my eyes on the Japanese dwarf flying squirrel, I could have sworn I was looking at some sort of promo material for the next live-action Pokémon movie.
But after conducting some research, it turns out that these cartoon-like creatures are 100% real!
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The Japanese dwarf flying squirrel - also known as the Ezo momonga - is one of the two Old World flying squirrels left on the planet. They can only be found on the Honshu and Kyushu islands off Japan, where they live in the islands' boreal evergreen forests.
Per Animalia.bio, the squirrels are "extremely small and fluffy", and can glide up to "100 meters" at a time - using this unique ability to travel between trees or escape predators.
If you're in any doubt that these smol beauties are real, check out the video below:
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And unlike other species of squirrel, these strictly nocturnal creatures do not hibernate and are active throughout the year (because the world is bad enough without taking away this cuteness for the winter months).
In addition, if you were to go looking for these adorable balls of fluff, you're more than likely to stumble upon more than one per nest, as several individuals of the same sex often share the same tree.
Check out these incredible shots taken by Japanese photographer Handa Natsumi:
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However, you better be prepared to climb, because the Japanese dwarf flying squirrel is strictly arboreal - meaning it never climbs down to scurry across the ground.
And according to AnimalDiversity.org, the squirrels only grow to roughly 4.7-9 inches in length.
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In addition, the diet of Japanese flying squirrels consists of "nuts, pine seeds, the buds and bark of certain trees, fruits, and probably some insects."
LOOK AT THIS ONE COMING OUT TO SAY HELLO:
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These tiny squirrels may look like Pokémon, and there's no doubt that I've gotta catch them all!