OITA — A Japanese dormouse, a state-designated natural monument commonly referred to as a “forest fairy,” was discovered in a food factory in southwestern Japan.
It is the third time the species has been found in the city of Hita, Oita Prefecture, and the first in two years. The dormouse was released in a nearby bamboo grove after Hita City Museum staff examined it and took photos for their records.
According to the museum, an employee at a food factory in the Maetsuemachi district of Hita found the animal inside a container of yuzu citrus fruit on Nov. 13. A curator at the museum confirmed that the creature was a Japanese dormouse, based on characteristics including a body length of about 8 centimeters, large eyes, a bushy tail, and a black stripe on its back.
Japanese dormice are found in hilly areas on the major islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and are a member of the rodent family. When it gets cold, they hibernate in tree hollows and under fallen leaves, and museum staff said that it is possible that the creature either strayed into the factory while searching for a warm place, or had been escaping from a predator.
The previous two discoveries of Japanese dormice in the city consisted of a corpse and a hibernating dormouse, and it is apparently the first time for one of the creatures to be found locally in an active state.
Museum director Shiro Yukitoki said, “We do not know much about the ecology of Japanese dormice in the city, including their habitat and hibernation period. I’d like to use this as an opportunity to also collect information from people who have witnessed other dormice to unravel how these animals actually live.”
(Japanese original by Tomohiro Tsujimoto, Oita Bureau)
