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Animals in Japan
Japan is home to several unique and beautiful animal species and a permanent loss of these creatures would be devastating to a country that identifies so closely with their animals.

Snow monkeys, also known as the Japanese macaque, are native to the country. This intelligent creature can be recognized by their grayish-brown fur and brilliant red hairless faces. They reside in Japan's central and northern forest regions and enjoy the country's hot springs during the cold winter months.

Snow monkeys are hardy creatures that are able to survive in harsh environments. Unfortunately, they are endangered from human expansion and development into their natural habitat. Their main food source is fruit, which is disappearing in the wild and forcing the animals to forage in orchards causing farmers to take action against them.

The
Whooper Swan
Whooper swan is a migratory bird that spends its winters in Japan. The large white bird sports a black and yellow bill with a wingspan of 7 feet. These birds spend their time in lakes, marshes and in fields that are flooded. The Whooper swans generally mate for life and are social creatures unless they are breeding, then they are aggressive and will defend their terrain.

Red-Crowned cranes also spend their winters in Japan. These stunning birds have a long black neck, red crown and bodies that are covered in white feathers. They live in northern Japan in partially aquatic habitats such as bogs and grasslands on the island of Hokkaido. The birds almost became extinct during the middle of the 20th century from over hunting. Mercifully, the people reacted to save these striking birds.

Japan has begun to protect its endangered species. However, land is in short supply and protecting the habitats of these species hasn't been a priority. Hopefully, the country will be able to find a balance between the animals that need a place to live and their people who need a home.


Click here for a list of endangered animals in Japan. Sika deer
Carnivores in Japan
Japanese marten
Sable
Northern fur seal
Arctic wolf
Brown bear
Least weasel
Sea otter
Bearded seal
Northern sealion
Asiatic black bear
Cross fox
Racoon dog
Common otter
Badger
Ermine
Common seal
Larga seal
Leopard cat
Indian grey mongoose
Dolphins, porpoises, and whales in Japan
Common rorqual
Baird's beaked whale
Atlantic dolphin
Devil fish
Bridled dolphin
Euphrosyne dolphin
Pygmy killer whale
Long-beaked dolphin
Rough-toothed dolphin
Pacific pilot whale
Grey dolphin
Pygmy sperm whale
Black finless porpoise
Bottle-nosed dolphin
Fraser's dolphin
Pacific white-sided dolphin
Cuvier's beaked whale
Killer whale
Northern right whale dolphin
Melon-headed whale
Bunch
Arch-beaked whale
Blainville's beaked whale
Common minke whale
Common porpoise
Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale
Coalfish whale
Dall's porpoise
Bering sea beaked whale
Bryde's whale
False killer whale
Blue whale
Bats in Japan
Brown big-eared bat
Ryukyu flying-fox
Southeast asian long-fingered bat
Marianas flying fox
Greater tube-nosed bat
Bonin flying fox
Forest tube-nosed bat
Gloomy tube-nosed bat
Greater horseshoe bat
Little japanese horseshoe bat
Whiskered bat
Imaizumi's horseshoe bat
Natterer's bat
Far eastern myotis
Hodgson's bat
Fraternal myotis
Hosono's myotis
Ikonnikov's bat
Big-footed myotis
European free-tailed bat
Honshu myotis
Frosted myotis
Lesser great leaf-nosed bat
Yoshiyuki's myotis
Noctule
Asian particolored bat
Birdlike noctule
Endo's pipistrelle
Hares, pikas, and rabbits in Japan
Arctic hare
Amami rabbit
Northern pika
Japanese hare
Primates in Japan
Japanese macaque
Rodents in Japan
Japanese flying squirrel
Japanese grass vole
Russian flying squirrel
Tanezumi rat
Ryukyu mouse
Ryukyu long-tailed giant rat
Japanese squirrel
Small japanese field mouse
Eurasian red squirrel
Japanese dormouse
Siberian chipmunk
Muennink's spiny rat
Ryukyu spiny rat
Japanese giant flying squirrel
Korean field mouse
Large japanese field mouse
Eurasian harvest mouse
Dugongs, manatees, and sea cows in Japan
Dugong
Information about the animals living in Japan is brought to you by "List of countries of the world", your first stop in discovering all countries and animals of the world.

The animals displayed on this page are grouped in their scientific order. View also countries of the world ordered by:
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