20 Adorable Animal Photos That Will Instantly Brighten Your Day

Flying squirrels are so cute!

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The Japanese flying squirrel is a small and incredibly furry creature known throughout the world for its amazing ability to glide gracefully between trees. About the size of a human hand and perfectly adapted for its lifestyle, it has a gray or brown body, white belly, big expressive eyes, and a bushy tail. Nocturnal by nature and perfectly suited for nighttime activity, it sleeps peacefully in tree holes during the day and comes out at night to feed on nuts, seeds, and insects. These remarkable squirrels are excellent gliders, soaring up to 100 feet by spreading their limbs like natural parachutes. They help control insect populations and serve as prey for birds of prey, playing an incredibly important role in Japan's delicate ecosystem.