Japanese dormouse
Glirulus japonicus (Schinz, 1845)
The japanese dormouse (Glirulus japonicus) is a species in the family Gliridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 47.4 g to 63 g and live up to 6.98 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the japanese dormouse
- Weight
- 47.4 g – 63 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 6.98 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 7 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 30.4 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 4.76 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the japanese dormouse live?
Not recorded
What is the japanese dormouse?
The Japanese dormouse (Glirulus japonicus) is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae endemic to Japan. It is the only extant species within the genus Glirulus. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. In Japanese, it is called yamane (やまね or 山鼠). Among dormice, it has the special ability of running at great speed upside down, suspended from branches. Its main food is fruit, insects, berries, nuts, and even flowers. It tends to inhabit arboreal nesting sites to avoid interspecific competition with the small Japanese field mouse (Apodemus argenteus) because of their sympatric relationship.
From the Wikipedia article “Japanese dormouse” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_dormouse&oldid=1350685903), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the japanese dormouse endangered?
The japanese dormouse is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the japanese dormouse classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderRodentia
- familyGliridae
- genusGlirulus
- SpeciesGlirulus japonicus (Schinz, 1845)
Synonyms Myoxus elegans, Myoxus javanicus, Myoxus lasiotis
Other names and names in other languages (15)
- زغبة يابانية شائعةArabic
- plch japonskýCzech
- Japanischer BilchGerman
- Japanischer SchläferGerman
- japaninunihiiriFinnish
- נמנמן יפניHebrew
- Ghiretto del GiapponeItalian
- ヤマネ (ニホンヤマネ)Japanese
- ニホンヤマネJapanese
- ヤマネJapanese
- JapansyvsoverNorwegian Bokmål
- Japanse SlaapmuisDutch
- popieliczka japońskaPolish
- Японская соняRussian
- Japon YediuyuruTurkish
Relatives of the japanese dormouse
Other species in the same genus Glirulus.
CompareJapanese dormouse vs Glirulus lissiensisJapanese dormouse vs Paraglirulus schultzi
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the japanese dormouse?
An adult japanese dormouse weighs 47.4 g – 63 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the japanese dormouse endangered?
The japanese dormouse is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the japanese dormouse live?
The japanese dormouse has a recorded lifespan of 6.98 years.
How long is the japanese dormouse pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 30.4 days.
What kind of animal is the japanese dormouse?
The japanese dormouse (Glirulus japonicus) belongs to the family Gliridae in the order Rodentia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Japanese dormouse (Glirulus japonicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-dormouse
“Japanese dormouse (Glirulus japonicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-dormouse.
@misc{japanese_dormouse_2026,
title = {Japanese dormouse (Glirulus japonicus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/japanese-dormouse},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}