Wildlife of Japan

Mammals bathing in hot springs in Nagano prefecture About 130 species of land mammal occur in Japan. The largest of these are the two bears. The Ussuri brown bear (Ursus arctos), the largest land animal in Japan, is found in Hokkaidō, The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) inhabits mountainous areas in Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku. Smaller carnivores include the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and Japanese marten (Martes melampus). There are two wild cats in Japan: the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) of mainland Asia occurs on Tsushima Island while the Iriomote cat (Prionailurus iriomotensis) is unique to the island of Iriomote. The extinct elephant Palaeoloxodon naumanni, giant deer Sinomegaceros yabei and cave lions (Panthera spelaea) also formerly inhabited the main islands of the archipelago. Two wolf species found in Japan, the Hokkaido wolf (Canis lupus hattai) and Honshū wolf (Canis lupus hodophylax), went extinct in 1889 and 1905, respectively. Birds s Over 600 species of bird have been recorded in Japan There are over 40 amphibian species including the Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus), one of the world's largest amphibians. Molluscs The winter spawning Japanese flying squid are associated with the Kuroshio Current. 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. Coral Japan has a number of temperate coral reefs which lie within waters warmed by the Kuroshio Current and its offshoots. The impact of climate change has led to these corals expanding at the expense of seagrasses. ==Flora==

, a large and ancient Japanese red cedar on Yakushima Around 4,000 to 6,000 species of plants occur naturally in Japan. The vegetation varies widely from subtropical forest in the south to coniferous forest in the north. In the subtropical zone, mangroves, cycads and tree ferns can be found. In the warm-temperate climate of Kyūshū, Shikoku and south-western Honshū, the dominant vegetation is broad-leaved evergreen forest with many oaks. In north Honshū and south-west Hokkaidō the climate is cool-temperate with broad-leaved deciduous trees including Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) and oaks like the jolcham oak (Quercus serrata). Conifers are dominant in much of Hokkaidō and in the mountains of central and northern Honshū with spruces and firs growing. In the highest mountains there is a zone of Arctic–alpine plants including the low-growing Siberian dwarf pine (Pinus pumila). Conifer plantations have replaced natural forest in many areas. Commonly grown trees include the hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora), Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii), sakaki evergreen (Cleyera japonica) and Japanese red cedar (Cryptomeria japonica). The last is Japan's tallest conifer reaching 40 metres in height. Bamboo grows abundantly in Japan with around 400 to 500 species including the dwarf bamboos known as sasa and the taller kinds known as take which can reach 20 meters. Many plants have been introduced to Japan from mainland Asia including important crops like rice and garden plants such as the chrysanthemum. Since the Meiji Restoration, increasing numbers of plants have come from Europe, North America and elsewhere. Native food plants include the water dropwort (Oenanthe javanica) and wasabi (Wasabia japonica). ==Conservation==

In 1897 Japan passed a law that protects forests for a variety of purposes, including to prevent erosion, protect river sources, and to support fish ecosystems. As of 2023, 12 million hectares are protected. Some fishermen have worked to maintain forests in coastal areas, with coastal waters subsequently having greater fish biodiversity. 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. ==See also==