Japanese dormouse
Amazing fact
Japanese dormice weave intricate nests from lichens and bark.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Japanese dormice weave intricate nests from lichens and bark.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Japanese dormouse
- Scientific name
- Glirulus japonicus
- Japanese name
- ヤマネ
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Gliridae
- Genus
- Glirulus
Where the name “Japanese dormouse” comes from
The word dormouse in its English name comes from an old word meaning “sleepy one”.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebA small, mouse-like animal of Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and nearby islands, it has a black stripe down its back.
It lives up in the trees at night, and its feet let it cling to the underside of branches and run upside down.
How the Japanese dormouse lives
In spring, they emerge from hibernation and call loudly to locate mates. They travel over a broad area to search for food. They also eat birds’ eggs. They store food in their nesting areas to eat later.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- 105–135 mm
- Weight
- 14–40 g
- Lifespan
- up to 6 years in the wild
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ヤマネ
- 简体中文
- 日本睡鼠
- 繁體中文
- 日本睡鼠
- 한국어
- 일본겨울잠쥐
- Español
- Lirón japonés
- Français
- Muscardin du Japon
- Deutsch
- Japanischer Bilch
- Italiano
- Ghiretto del Giappone
- العربية
- زغبة يابانية شائعة
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Yamane
- Tiếng Việt
- Chuột sóc Nhật Bản
- Русский
- Японская соня
- Türkçe
- Japon yediuyuru
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 京都府 — ヤマネ（京都府レッドデータブック2015）Checked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Glirulus japonicusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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