Wildlife of Japan
The islands of Japan stretch a long distance from north to south and cover a wide range of climatic zones.
The Ussuri brown bear (Ursus arctos), the largest land animal in Japan, is found in Hokkaidō,[3] where it plays an important role in the culture of the Ainu people.
[4] The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) inhabits mountainous areas in Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku.
Among Japan's most famous mammals is the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), the world's most northerly monkey.
[6] The extinct elephant Palaeoloxodon naumanni and giant deer Sinomegaceros yabei also formerly inhabited Honshu.
At least two crocodilian species are known to have occurred in the recent geological past of Japan: the Chinese alligator and Toyotamaphimeia.
The southern Ryukyu Islands are home to endemic species of colorful freshwater gobies in the genus Stiphodon.
The Japanese taimen (Hucho perryi) is the largest fish to enter freshwater in Japan and may reach sizes of up to 2 meters in length.
Mudskippers are found in warmer areas while coral reefs in the Ryukyu Islands have many fish typical of tropical waters such as parrotfish and anemonefish.
Other well-known insects in Japan include cicadas, crickets, Asian giant hornet and fireflies.
The eggs and larvae develop during winter in the East China Sea and the adults travel with minimum energy via the Kuroshio Current to the rich northern feeding grounds near northwestern Honshu and Hokkaido.
[12] Japan has a number of temperate coral reefs which lie within waters warmed by the Kuroshio Current and its offshoots.
In the warm-temperate climate of Kyūshū, Shikoku and south-western Honshū, the dominant vegetation is broad-leaved evergreen forest with many oaks.
In the highest mountains there is a zone of Arctic–alpine plants including the low-growing Siberian dwarf pine (Pinus pumila).
Native food plants include the water dropwort (Oenanthe javanica) and wasabi (Wasabia japonica).
[14] Japan's Ministry of the Environment has taken several measure to conserve native wildlife such as hunting restrictions, captive breeding programs, and habitat protection and restoration.
