The Shiretoko Peninsula is home to many species of both
conifers and
broadleaf trees, including the
acorn-bearing
Quercus mongolica ('''').
Siberian dwarf pine trees grow above .
Whale watching is a popular attraction for tourists. Thirteen or fourteen species of
cetaceans have been recorded in the area. Especially for
orcas, or killer whales, the waters surrounding the peninsula are regarded as one of the most significant habitat areas in the northwestern Pacific. There was a notable mass
stranding of twelve animals in February 2005. Nine animals died. In 2019, two white individuals have been sighted. In 2019 and 2021, several white individuals were seen. Shiretoko Peninsula is one of the few places where groups of male
sperm whales and
beaked whales including
Baird's beaked whales can be spotted from the shore. Other frequently seen species include
minke whales,
Pacific white-sided dolphins,
Dall's porpoises, and
harbour porpoises. Newly described
Sato's beaked whale inhabits the area as well.。 Endangered populations of
humpback whales and
fin whales in the Sea of Okhotsk have started to recover in recent years. Some
beluga whales, or white whales, that are thought to be vagrants from the endangered population in the northern Sea of Okhotsk do occur, specifically a sub-adult individual that continuously appeared at the town of
Shibetsu for several years in the 2000s.
North Pacific right whales, the most endangered of all the great whales, have been observed close to the shore mainly on the Sea of Okhotsk side of the peninsula for several times including in 2013, 2018, and 2019 with several sightings noted in 2013 and 2019, and 2018 sighting and one of 2019 sighting have been made by the same tour operator, Doutou Kanko Kaihatsu (Corporation) (
:jp:道東観光開発). From June 21 to 23, 2015, the first ever sighting of a
bowhead whale in the Japanese EEZ occurred (the first record of the species in the nation was of a catch record in
Osaka Bay on June 23, 1969). Several records from whaling days show
blue whales to have been harpooned and landed at Abashiri port, though this species normally does not enter adjacent seas and are now thought to be almost extinct in Japan's waters. As deep, productive water, some species of
beaked whales favor the area including
Cuvier's beaked whales,
Stejneger's beaked whales, and others. Baird's beaked whales, the largest of this group, are most frequently observed close to shore. An unidentified form or subspecies of beaked whale is known to inhabit the waters off Shiretoko Peninsula and Abashiri.
Long-finned pilot whales which once inhabited the waters around Hokkaido are thought to have become extinct in the 12th century, but unconfirmed sightings of
short-finned pilot whales have been reported in Nemuro Strait though the area is out of their normal range. There is notable flora diversity including endemic
Cymathaere japonica, endangered species such as
Viola kitamiana (
Japanese) which Japanese name was named after Shiretoko Peninsula,
Dendranthema arcticum,
Astragalus japonicus. File:Shiretoko National Park.jpg| File:140829 Ichiko of Shiretoko Goko Lakes Hokkaido Japan01s5.jpg| File:140828 Kamuiwakka Falls and Mount Io Shiretoko Hokkaido Japan01s13.jpg | File:140828 Kamuiwakka Falls and Mount Io Shiretoko Hokkaido Japan02sbs13.jpg| File:Mount Rausu from Mount Io 2005-8-13.jpg| File:Rausu_Kunashiri_Observatory_Deck_5.jpg| File:Shiretoko 5peaks.JPG| File:Waterfall of Oshinkoshin 03.JPG| ==Conservation efforts==