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Which is it, a swan or a goose? Is it both? It’s the swan goose, a large species of migratory goose that hails from Northeast China, Mongolia, and the Russian Far East. Vagrant populations are sometimes encountered in Japan and Korea (where they used to winter in large numbers when […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The kaluga sturgeon, aka river beluga, is the 2nd largest sturgeon after the beluga sturgeon. These giants can be found in the Amur River basin from Russia to China and near Hokkaido in Japan. These giants face the threats of overfishing and over harvesting of their roe (eggs); habitat loss […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

While the Japanese beetle is not classified as a pest species in its native Japan, in Europe and North America they are a pest to over 300 species of plant life. Plants such as birch trees, cannabis, crape myrtles, grapes, hops, linden trees, rose bushes, and more are all affected […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Okinawa rail, aka Yanbaru rail, Yanbaru kuina, or agachi kumira, is a nearly flightless bird that hails only from Yanbaru, the northern part of Okinawa Island in the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan. They prefer evergreen broad-leaved forests but they also dwell in marshes, grasslands, and cultivated lands near […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Amami rabbit, aka Ryukyu rabbit, is only found on Amami Ōshima and Tokunoshima, 2 small islands between southern Kyūshū and Okinawa in Japan. These rabbits are frequently called a living fossil. The Amami rabbit is a living remnant of ancient rabbits that once dwelled on the Asian mainland, where […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The stellar’s sea eagle, aka Pacific sea eagle, steller’s fish eagle, or white-shouldered eagle, is considered the heaviest eagle in the world. They can be found in China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, and even in the United States. Unfortunately, they face the threats of habitat destruction and […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Japanese badger, aka anaguma or mujina, can be found on Kyushu, Honshu, Shikoku, and Shōdoshima, in Japan. They prefer forested and woodland habitats, as well as agricultural, urban areas, and suburban habitats. Even though they face the threats of habitat destruction at the hands of residential and commercial developments, […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The mamushi, aka Japanese moccasin, Japanese pit viper, Oichun snake, Japanese mamushi, or salmusa, hails from Japan & Russia. These venomous pit vipers tolerate a range of habitats including: open woodlands, grasslands, swamps, meadows, marshes, rocky hillsides, montane rocky outcroppings, and farmland. Sans hunting, trapping, and habitat destruction, these snakes […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Ryukyu flying fox, aka Ryukyu fruit bat, can be found on a few islands of Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan. They prefer tropical and subtropical dry forests and swamps. Unfortunately, due to the threats of habitat loss, at the hands of residential and commercial development, as well as agriculture; […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Japanese marten can be found in the Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku regions of Japan and potentially in the southern Korean Peninsula. They prefer broad-leaved forest habitats, but can also be found in suburban settings. Japanese martens face the threats of habitat destruction at the hands of the logging industry, and […]

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