Endemic Animals of Japan

The Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis) is a subspecies of the Leopard cat that lives exclusively on the Japanese island of Iriomote. It is viewed by many biologists as a "living fossil," and is not much changed from its primitive form. First described by Dr. Imaizumi of Tokyo’s National Science Museum in 1967, this wild cat is about the size of a domestic cat and has the short legs of a predator that forages in thick u ...
ndergrowth. These animals in the wild live for 7-8 years, and 8-9 in captivity, with the longest lifespan known in captivity to be 15 years. Less

The Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) is a goat-antelope, an even-toed ungulate mammal that lives in dense woodland in Japan. This animal is a national symbol of Japan and is protected in conservation areas. It is labeled a "living national treasure of the forest". In 1955, the Japanese government passed a law designating it a "Special National Monument" to protect it from poachers. Less

The Japanese weasel (Mustela itatsi ) is a carnivorous mammal belonging to the genus Mustela in the family Mustelidae. The most closely related Mustela species is the Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica ). Its taxonomic species name, itatsi, is based on the Japanese word for weasel, itachi (イタチ). It is native to Japan where it occurs on the islands of Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku. It has been introduced to Hokkaidō and the Ryukyu Islands to control rodents a ...
nd has also been introduced to Sakhalin Island in Russia.It has an orange-brown coloured fur coat with darker markings on the head and varies in size depending on its gender. They have a long slender body, a long tail, relatively short legs and sharp claws. It is often confused with the Siberian weasel which has a different ratio of tail to head and body length. Unlike other species of weasels, their coat does not change colour in winter. Average lifespan of a Japanese weasel is highly dependent on the availability of food and to a lesser extent other factors that affect its life. In the wild it can live for 2 to 3 years with the highest in the range living to about 5 years. The Japanese weasel has a tail ratio of 36–50% while the Siberian weasel has a ratio greater than 50%. The population of the Japanese weasel has seen a decline of 25% over the last 3 generations which has been used to justify its status as near threatened on the IUCN Red List. The government of Japan has prevented the hunting of female Japanese weasels as a measure to conserve the species.It is often classified as a subspecies of the Siberian weasel (M. sibirica ). The two species are very similar in appearance but differ in the ratio of tail length to head and body length. There are also genetic differences which suggest that the two diverged around 1.6–1.7 million years ago. Mitochondrial sequencing of the two species suggests that the two species diverged in the Early Pleistocene. Their ranges now overlap in western Japan where the Siberian weasel has been introduced.Adult males of the Japanese weasel can reach 35 cm (14 in) in body length with a tail length of up to 17 cm (6.7 in). Females are smaller. The species typically occurs in mountainous or forested areas near water. Its diet includes mice, frogs, reptiles, insects and crayfish. Less

The Japanese badger (Meles anakuma ) is a species of carnivoran of the family Mustelidae, the weasels and their kin. Endemic to Japan, it is found on Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Shōdoshima. It shares the genus Meles with its close relatives, the European (M. meles ) and Asian (M. leucurus ) badgers. In Japan it is called by the name anaguma (穴熊) meaning "hole-bear", or mujina (むじな, 狢). Less

Protobothrops flavoviridis is a species of venomous pit viper endemic to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. No subspecies are currently recognized. Local common names include habu, Okinawa habu, and Kume Shima habu. Less

The Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes viverrinus), also known as the tanuki is one of two species in the genus Nyctereutes, alongside the Common raccoon dog, of which it was formerly thought to be a subspecies. Currently, it is thought to represent a distinct species. Within Japanese folklore, the tanuki has had a significant role since ancient times. The animal has also been common in Japanese art, particularly as a subject for statues. Less

The Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus ) is a species of salamander in the family Cryptobranchidae. This fully aquatic salamander is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Ōsanshōuo (オオサンショウウオ/大山椒魚), literally meaning "giant salamander". Other local names include Hanzaki , Hanzake , and Ankou. With a length of up to 5 feet (1.5 m), it is the third-largest salamander in the world, only being surpassed by the very similar and closely related Chinese giant salama ...
nder (A. davidianus ) and South China giant salamander (A. sligoi ). There are currently only five known members of the family Cryptobranchidae: the Japanese, Chinese, and South China giant salamanders, an undescribed Andrias species from eastern China, and the hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis ) in the eastern United States.The Japanese giant salamander was first catalogued by Europeans when the resident physician of Dejima Island in Nagasaki, Philipp Franz von Siebold, captured an individual and shipped it back to Leiden in the Netherlands, in the 1820s. The species was designated as a special natural monument in 1951, and is federally protected. Less

The Green pheasant (Phasianus versicolor) is an omnivorous bird found only in the Japanese archipelago. It is the national bird of Japan and plays an important role in local culture. Less

The Japanese black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus ) is a subspecies of the Asian black bear that lives on two main islands of Japan: Honshu and Shikoku. There are said to be 10,000 black bears in Japan. The population of black bears on Shikoku is endangered at less than 30 individuals and the last confirmed sighting of a bear on the island of Kyushu was in 1987 making them likely extinct on the island prior to the 21st century. There is a high ...
price on bear parts in the black market, which threatens all bear populations in Japan. This particular species of bear are typically smaller with males only reaching 60–120 kilograms (130–260 lb) and females only weighing about 40–100 kilograms (88–220 lb). Their body length is about 120–140 centimetres (47–55 in) long. Less

The Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi ; Amami: ), or Amami no-kuro-usagi (アマミノクロウサギ 奄美野黒兔, lit. "Amami wild black rabbit"), also known as the Ryukyu rabbit is a dark-furred rabbit which is only found in Amami Ōshima and Toku-no-Shima, two small islands between southern Kyūshū and Okinawa in Kagoshima Prefecture (but actually closer to Okinawa) in Japan. Often called a living fossil, the Amami rabbit is a living remnant of ancient rabbits that once lived on the Asian mainlan ...
d, where they died out, remaining only on the two small Japanese islands where they live today. Less

The Japanese otter (Japanese: ニホンカワウソ(日本川獺, Hepburn: Nihon-kawauso) (Lutra nippon ) or Japanese river otter is an extinct species of otter formerly widespread in Japan.Dating back to the 1880s, it was even seen in Tokyo. The population suddenly shrank in the 1930s, and the mammal nearly vanished. Since then, it has only been spotted several times, in 1964 in the Seto Inland Sea, and in the Uwa Sea in 1972 and 1973. The last official sighting was in the southern part ...
of Kōchi Prefecture in 1979, when it was photographed in the mouth of the Shinjo River in Susaki. It was subsequently classified as a "Critically Endangered" species on the Japanese Red List. On August 28, 2012, the Japanese otter was officially declared extinct by the Ministry of the Environment. It is the official animal symbol of Ehime Prefecture. Less

The Japanese boar (Sus scrofa leucomystax ), also known as the white-moustached pig, inoshishi (イノシシ), or yama kujira (山鯨, lit. "mountain whale"), is a subspecies of wild boar native to all of Japan, save for Hokkaido and the Ryukyu Islands. Less

The Japanese tit (Parus minor ), also known as the Oriental tit, is a passerine bird which replaces the similar great tit in Japan and the Russian Far East beyond the Amur River, including the Kuril Islands. Until recently, this species was classified as a subspecies of great tit (Parus major ), but studies indicated that the two species coexist in the Russian Far East without intermingling or frequent hybridization.The species made headlines in ...
March 2016, when Toshitaka Suzuki et al. reported in Nature Communications that they had found experimental evidence for compositional syntax in bird calls, marking the first such evidence for that type of syntax in nonhuman animals. They demonstrated that the Japanese tit will respond to the recruitment call of the willow tit but only as long as it follows the Japanese tit alert call in the correct alert+recruitment order, evidence that Japanese tits recognize the parts of the combination. Less

The large Japanese field mouse (Apodemus speciosus ) is a nocturnal species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is endemic to Japan. Less

The Japanese fire belly newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster ) is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae endemic to Japan. It is commonly confused with the Chinese fire belly newt (Cynops orientalis ) due to similarities in coloring and size, and most newts sold as Japanese fire belly newts are likely to be the more commonly collected Chinese fire belly newt instead. It is extremely toxic - fatal within 6 hours - to humans and other animals. Less

The Okinawa rail (Hypotaenidia okinawae ) is a species of bird in the rail family, Rallidae. It is endemic to Okinawa Island in Japan where it is known as the Yanbaru kuina (ヤンバルクイナ（山原水鶏）, "Yanbaru rail"). Its existence was only confirmed in 1978 and it was formally described in 1981 although unidentified rails had been recorded on the island since at least 1973 and local stories of a bird known as the agachi kumira may refer to this species.It is a medium-sized and alm ...
ost flightless rail with short wings and tail, olive-brown upperparts, black underparts with white bars and a red bill and legs.It occurs in subtropical moist forests and in neighboring habitats. It nests and feeds on the ground but usually roosts in trees. It is classified as an endangered species and is threatened by habitat loss and introduced predators. Less

The Japanese pond turtle (Mauremys japonica ) is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae endemic to Japan. Its Japanese name is nihon ishigame, Japanese stone turtle. Its population has decreased somewhat due to habitat loss, but it is not yet considered a threatened species.This species is known to hybridize with the Chinese pond turtle, the Chinese stripe-necked turtle, and the Chinese box turtle (and possibly other Geoemydidae) in ...
captivity. As these three species are much rarer and strongly declining in the wild, this should be avoided. Less

The copper pheasant or Soemmerring's pheasant (Syrmaticus soemmerringii ) is endemic to Japan. The scientific name commemorates the German scientist Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring. Less

Mizuhopecten yessoensis (Yesso scallop, giant Ezo scallop) is a species of marine bivalve mollusks in the family Pectinidae, the scallops. Its name Yesso/Ezo refers to its being found north of Japan. Its tissues bioaccumulate algal yessotoxins and are studied extensively. Less

Ovophis okinavensis is a venomous pitviper species found in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. No subspecies are currently recognized. Less

The Okinawa woodpecker (Dendrocopos noguchii ), (ノグチゲラ, きーたたちゃー, Noguchigera) is a woodpecker endemic to the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan. It was previously placed in the monotypic genus Sapheopipo.Other common names for this species are Noguchi's woodpecker, Okinawan woodpecker, Pryer's woodpecker and Ryukyu woodpecker. Some taxonomic authorities place this species in the monotypic genus Sapheopipo. Less

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 (ヤマネ or 山鼠). Among dormice, it has the special ability of running at great speed upside down, suspended from branches. Its main food is insects, berries, nectar, or pollen. It tends to inhabit arboreal nesting sites to ...
avoid interspecific competition with the small Japanese field mouse (Apodemus argenteus ) because of their sympatric relationship. Less

Protobothrops elegans is a venomous pitviper species endemic to Japan in the southern Ryukyu Islands. No subspecies are currently recognized. Common names include: elegant pitviper, Sakishima habu (サキシマハブ), and elegant tree viper. Less

The Ryukyu robin (Larvivora komadori ) is a bird endemic to the Ryūkyū Islands, of Japan. The Okinawa robin (Larvivora namiyei ) previously was considered a subspecies.The specific name komadori is, somewhat confusingly, the common name of its relative the Japanese robin in Japanese.The Ryukyu robin, together with the Japanese robin and the European robin, was previously placed in the genus Erithacus. A 2006 molecular phylogenetic study found t ...
hat the two east Asian species were more similar to the Siberian blue robin, at the time in Luscinia, than to the European robin. In 2010 a large study confirmed this result and also found that Luscinia was non-monophyletic. The genus Larvivora was therefore resurrected to accommodate a clade containing the Japanese robin, the Ryukyu robin, the Siberian blue robin and several other species that had previously been placed in Luscinia. Less

The Izu thrush or Izu Islands thrush (Turdus celaenops ) is a bird of the thrush family native to Japan. Less

Owston's tit (Sittiparus owstoni ) is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae that is endemic to the southern Izu Islands south of Japan.Owston's tit was formerly considered as subspecies of the varied tit but was promoted to species status based on the results of a phylogenetic study published in 2014.It is larger than the varied tit, and lacks the buffish forehead and side of neck. Less

The Iriomote tit (Sittiparus olivaceus ) is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is endemic to the Yaeyama Islands which lie to the south west of Japan and to the east of Taiwan. Iriomote is the name of the largest island in the group.The Iriomote tit was first described by the Japanese ornithologist Nagamichi Kuroda in 1923 and given the trinomial name Sittiparus varius olivaceus. It was formerly considered as subspecies of the ...
varied tit but after the publication of a phylogenetic study in 2014 it was promoted to species status.The species differs from the varied tit in having a washed olive colouring on the back. Less

The Iwo Jima rail or white-browed crake (Poliolimnas cinereus brevipes ) was a rail native to the island of Iwo Jima. The last reported sightings were in 1924, and the species is believed to be extinct. It was a subspecies of the white-browed crake. Less

The Daito wren (Troglodytes troglodytes orii ) is a controversial subspecies of the Eurasian wren. It is known only by the type specimen, a male collected in 1938 on Minami Daitō-jima, the main island of the Daito Archipelago east of Okinawa. Yamashina described the bird as a new subspecies after comparing it with 114 specimens from surrounding areas and under the impression that the Eurasian wren is a fairly sedentary bird, not liable to be ...
drifted astray over long distances. Its scientific name honors Yamashina's specimen collector, Hyojiri Orii.However, stray Eurasian wrens have more recently been found on Yonaguni and Okinawa Islands. Thus, it has been hypothesized that the Daito bird was just a straggler from the Honshū (T. t. fumigatus ), the Yakushima/Tanegashima (T. t. ogawae ) or the Izu Islands (T. t. mosukei ) population (Vaurie, 1955). As the specimen exists (Yamashina Institute for Ornithology collection No. 25476), it should be possible to resolve its status by DNA analysis. Certainly, many bird populations on islands south of Japan became extinct in the late 1930s as settlement and civilian and military construction destroyed large amounts of habitat. Less

Lidth's jay (Garrulus lidthi ) or the Amami jay, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to Japan.Measuring up to 38 cm (15 in) in total length, it is slightly larger than its close relative the Eurasian jay, with a proportionately stouter bill and also a longer tail. It has no discernible crest, with the head feathers a velvety black, the shoulders and back a deep purplish blue and all other parts a rich chestnut purple.This jay has a ...
very restricted distribution occurring only on the southern Japanese islands of Amami Ōshima and Tokunoshima in pine forest, sub-tropical woodland and cultivated areas especially around villages.Food is largely made up of the acorns of the native oak Quercus cuspidata but includes small reptiles and invertebrates of many types.The bird nests in large cavities in trees but otherwise the nest is the same as that of the other two Garrulus species with 3–4 eggs.The voice is similar to that of the Eurasian jay.The species was threatened in the past by hunting for its feathers, which were used for decorating ladies' hats. Today it is threatened by introduced small Indian mongooses, which were brought to its range to control the venomous Okinawa pit viper. The species is fully protected under Japanese law and is increasing in numbers thanks to control of the mongooses.The species name commemorates the Dutch zoologist Theodoor Gerard van Lidth de Jeude.In 1965 it was chosen as the symbolic bird of Kagoshima Prefecture Less

The Amami woodcock (Scolopax mira ) is a medium-sized wader. It is slightly larger and longer-legged than Eurasian woodcock, and may be conspecific.This species is a restricted-range endemic found only in forests on two small islands of the Amami Islands chain in South Japan. Insofar as its habits are known, they are similar to Eurasian woodcock. Less

The Bonin white-eye (Apalopteron familiare ) or meguro (メグロ) is a small songbird endemic to the Bonin Islands (Ogasawara Islands) of Japan. It is the only species in the genus Apalopteron. Its taxonomic affinities were a long-standing mystery and it has been placed with the bulbuls, babblers and more recently with the honeyeaters, during which it was known as the Bonin honeyeater. Since 1995 it is known to be a white-eye in the family Zoste ...
ropidae, that is closely related to the golden white-eye of the Marianas Islands.The Bonin white-eye has predominately yellow and green plumage and a conspicuous black triangular patch around the eye – the eye is also surrounded by a broken white ring. It was once found on all the major islands of the Bonin Islands but is now restricted to the islands of Hahajima. On that island group it is found in almost all the habitat types, native and human-modified, although it mostly breeds in native forest. Fruit is an important part of the diet, especially mulberries, as well as insects, but flowers, seeds, spiders and reptiles are taken as well. It feeds both in trees and on the ground, as it is more terrestrial than other white-eyes. Pairs of Bonin white-eyes form long-term pair bonds and remain together throughout the year. They nest in a cup-shaped nest into which usually two eggs are laid. Both parents are responsible for incubation and raising the chicks.The arrival of humans in the Bonin Islands resulted in the extinction of many of the native birds of the islands. The Bonin white-eye was affected by the changes that caused those extinctions, and has lost one subspecies and is no longer found on many groups of the Bonin Islands. The species is an important part of the ecology of the Bonin Islands, an important seed disperser for the native plants. It has proven to be somewhat resilient to competition from introduced warbling white-eyes, predation by introduced rats and cats, and habitat loss. The Bonin white-eye is evaluated as being "near threatened" by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Less

The Bonin nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus crassirostris ) is an extinct subspecies of the nankeen night heron. Less

Japanese green woodpecker or Japanese woodpecker (Picus awokera ) is a medium-sized woodpecker similar and closely related to the European green woodpecker, but endemic to Japan.This species reaches about 30 cm in length, with bright green wings and tail, a red or black mustache and crown (as opposed to the black face of the green woodpecker), gray head, neck, and chest, and white underparts with black markings.The Japanese green woodpecker is ...
divided into at least two subspecies:P. a. awokera, the nominate subspecies, found on HonshūP. a. horii, native to KyūshūThe binomial is a reference to the Japanese name of the species, aogera. Less

The Ryukyu kingfisher (Todiramphus cinnamominus miyakoensis ) is an enigmatic taxon of tree kingfisher. It is extinct and was only ever known from a single specimen. Its taxonomic status is doubtful; it is most likely a subspecies of the Guam kingfisher, which would make its scientific name Todiramphus cinnamominus miyakoensis. As the specimen is extant at the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, the question could be resolved using DNA sequence ...
analysis; at any rate, the Guam kingfisher is almost certainly the closest relative of the Ryukyu bird. The IUCN considers this bird a subspecies and has hence struck it from its redlist.The one known bird, probably a male, was according to its label collected on Miyako-jima, the main island of the Miyako group, Ryūkyū Shotō, on February 5, 1887. While it is often and correctly stated that specimen labels may be incorrect or misleading, the locality, to the northwest of the extant populations of Todiramphus cinnamominus, seems sound in a biogeographical sense. At least the specimen labels of Ryukyu collections by later Japanese collectors are usually very reliable; whether this is true for earlier collection too is not known.The only differences between the Miyako-jima bird and males of the Guam kingfisher (the nominate subspecies of the Micronesian kingfisher; presently only surviving in captivity) are the former's lack of a black nape band and the red feet (black in Guam birds). The bill color is unknown due to damage to the specimen, and supposed differences in the proportion of the remiges are almost certainly an artifact of specimen preparation. Indeed, the specimen was not recognized as distinct until some 30 years after its collection.If the bird was indeed a resident of the Miyako group (and as there was better habitat on neighboring Irabu-jima, it is probable that it would have been found there too), it became extinct in the late 19th century. While this seems early, the population must have always been small as there never was much habitat available in historic times. Certainly, thorough research in the early 20th century failed to find the bird again. The reasons for the disappearance of the population would have been land clearance and draining of wetlands for agriculture. Less

The Amami thrush (Zoothera major ) is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. It is endemic to the islands of Amami Ōshima and Kakeroma island in the northern Nansei Islands of Japan. Less

The Mukojima white-eye (Apalopteron familiare familiare ), incorrectly known as the Mukojima honeyeater, is the extinct nominate subspecies of the Bonin white-eye (formerly Bonin honeyeater). It occurred on Muko-jima and Nakodo-jima in the northern group of the Ogasawara Islands. The last record were specimens taken in January 1930 on Muko-jima; by then, the bird was already gone from Nakodo-jima. In 1941, the subspecies was found to have gone ...
extinct in the meantime. Less

Bannerman's shearwater (Puffinus bannermani ) is a seabird in the family Procellariidae formerly considered conspecific with Audubon's shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri ). Less

Anderson's crocodile newt, Anderson's newt, Ryukyu spiny newt, or Japanese warty newt (Echinotriton andersoni ) is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and, at least formerly, Mount Guanyin in northern Taiwan, where it is now believed to be extinct. Less

The Hida salamander or Hondo salamander (Hynobius kimurae ) is a species of salamander in the family Hynobiidae, the Asiatic salamanders. It is endemic to central and western Honshu, Japan. It lives in deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, where it breeds in streams. The egg sacs of this species were reported to display blue-to-yellow iridescent glow due to a quasi-periodic diffraction grating structure embedded within the enveloppes of the ...
egg sacs. These salamanders typically spawn from February to April, leading some to metamorphose in late September while others wait for the following year to do so after winter is over. Less

The sword-tail newt (Cynops ensicauda ) is a species of true salamander from the Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan. It has recently been placed on Japan's Red List of Threatened Amphibians. Sword-tail newts are poisonous, and may also be referred to as fire-bellied newts due to the orange coloration of their underside. They are not to be confused with the common Chinese and Japanese species. It is distinguished from these two species by their larger ...
size, broader heads and smoother skin. Its coloration ranges from brown to black, occasionally with an orange dorsal stripe. Some individuals may have light spotting or speckling on their backs.Sword-tailed newts can reach 12.8 cm (5.0 in) in males and 18 cm (7.1 in) in females. They are the largest living members of their genus. They exhibit sexual dimorphism. Females’ tails are longer than the rest of their body; those of males are much shorter, and sometimes display a whitish sheen during breeding season. Less

The Japanese wrinkled frog (Glandirana rugosa ) is a species of true frog native to Japan and introduced to Hawaii in the late 19th century. It has sometimes been regarded as a single species with the Imienpo Station frog (Glandirana emeljanovi ) which is found on the East Asian mainland. The two species are distinguished from others by their rough and uneven skin. It lives and breeds in various freshwater environments, including ponds, streams ...
and wetlands. The IUCN does not consider this species to be faced by any significant threats. Less