Japan Animals and Plants

What is a flying fox?

Some extraordinary animals live in Japan, such as the fruit bat. The fruit bat is a mammal with a head that resembles a dog. These animals look funny and belong to the group of bats, which includes bats.

Some can span their wings up to 1.70 meters, but there are also much smaller species. They sleep by hanging their heads. In contrast to the bats, they do not hibernate. In Japan you can find them especially on the Ryuku Islands, which are located in the very south of Japan, a country located in Asia according to proexchangerates.

Typically wild Japan

The Japanese sleeper and the spiny mouse have also found a home on these Japanese islands. Also typical of Japan is a certain species of monkey called the Japanese macaque. This monkey has a red face, as if it always has to be upset, and is therefore also called the red-faced macaque.

Raccoon dogs and red foxes live in Japanese forests. You can also find cute raccoons, sometimes called Japanese badgers. You can find them on some Japanese islands and they belong to the species of marten.

Typical of Japan are the sika deer, which remain smaller than our red deer. They also live outside of Japan, for example in China, Vietnam, Korea or in southeast Siberia. There, however, their populations are threatened. One of the endangered species in Japan is the iriomote cat, which is only found on a small island at the end of the Ryuku Islands. Wild boars and some bears and other species of monkeys also live in the Japanese forests.

The Japanese giant salamander

The Japanese giant salamander only survives in Japan and can grow up to 1.50 meters tall. will. This is the second largest amphibian in the world. You can only find it on the Japanese islands of Kyushu, Honshu and Shikoku and mostly on rivers and streams. He is very shy and likes to hide in caves.

Snakes and birds

Snakes also live in Japan. There are some non-poisonous species of adder here, as well as a dangerous venomous snake called the habu snake. It is widespread on some islands in Japan. She often lives in the regions between the fields and the forest. It is dangerous because – unlike many snake species – it is quite aggressive and defends itself.

The state bird of Japan is the pheasant, which can be easily recognized by its colorful plumage.

The underwater world of Japan

Many species of fish cavort in the sea around the Japanese islands. Whales, dolphins and sharks swim in Japan’s seas as well. The Japanese eat a lot of fish. After all, they live on an island and are surrounded by the sea. And on the mountainous islands there are few alternatives and almost no livestock. The most common types of fish include sardines, mackerel, salmon and, above all, tuna, which are hunted mercilessly and whose stocks continue to decline.

Tuna

There are not enough stocks to satisfy the Japanese hunger for tuna, so the tuna comes from all over the world to end up in Japan. Even though the fishing quotas have now been reduced significantly, there is still far too much tuna caught illegally.

Dolphins, birds and seals also find their way into the nets of the large fishing trawlers as bycatch. So they are caught on the side and were not the target of the fishermen at all.

In fresh water

By the way, typical of Japan are the koi, a special type of carp that swim around in almost every Japanese fish pond. However, these are farmed fish that only swim in fresh water.

Japanese plants

When you think of Japan, you think of the beautiful blooming cherry trees in the Japanese gardens. However, these only bloom in spring. When the cherry trees bloom, the Japanese celebrate. For them, the blossom of the cherry tree is also a symbol of ephemeral life. At the same time, the flower also stands for purity.

Another plant known to Japan is bamboo, of which there are 300 species in Japan alone. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world. Some types of bamboo can grow three feet a day.

Another typical Japanese plant is the camellia with its red flowers, which is also pretty to look at. It belongs to the tea bush family.

The Japanese maple is also known. Other trees typical of Japan are Japanese pines, larches, which grow very slowly, and cedars.

Sapling in the shell

The “planting in a bowl”, as the German translation of the Japanese term bonsai is called, is world famous for Japanese gardening. The art of bonsai, however, originated in China and not at all and was introduced here only at the beginning of the 20th century from Japan.

A tree is pruned and kept small so that it looks like a real tree, just in miniature format. Very practical, because there is little space in Japan for a lot of people. Those who manage to grow a real tree in miniature form in this way are considered masters of their craft in Japan. In Japan there are 1000 year old trees, an age that very few trees reach in the wild.

Japan Animals