Lesson 10 microsite. Animals in Japan

Animals in Japan

This is a microsite for lesson 10 in the Japan series.

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Japanese macaque

Japanese dwarf flying squirrel

Red crowned crane

Tsushima cat

Japanese giant salamander

Japanese marten

Japanese dwarf flying squirrel

Where can we find them?

What do they look like?

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

Fun facts

Where can we find them?

Map of Japan

The Japanese dwarf flying squirrel lives across most of Japan. They do not live on the north island called Hokkaido. They live on the other three main islands of Japan including Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku. The area you can find them in has been coloured in blue.

What do they look like?

Japanese dwarf flying squirrels are very small. They have a body between 14-20cm long and a tail that is 10-14cm long. They weigh between 150-220 grams. This is about the same as an adult hamster, or a bar of chocolate. They have a small face with very large eyes that help them see well at night. They also have stretchy skin under their arms that they can stretch out to help them glide.

Their fur is often grey or brown. This helps them hide when they are on trees.

They have large ears to help them hear at night and lots of whiskers to feel what is near them in the dark.

Try looking up images of Japanese dwarf flying squirrels online.

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

The Japanese dwarf flying squirrel has a special piece of stretchy skin under its arms that it can use to glide from tree to tree. When the squirrel jumps out of a tree it stretches its skin so it behaves like a parachute. This helps them travel a long distance without landing on the forest floor. As they are so small, landing on the forest floor would be very dangerous for them as they could be eaten by a predator.

The Japanese dwarf squirrel sleeps in small holes in trees during the day. These little squirrels often sleep together in small groups in their tree. This helps to keep them warm and safe. They only come out at night so that predators can't see them.

Fun facts

Before they are 1 week old, their skin is so thin that you can see their internal organs.

They eat by hanging upside down on a branch.

Babies are born with their eyes closed and no fur.

They can use their fluffy tail as a brake when they are flying to help them land on trees.

Japanese Macaque

Where can we find them?

What do they look like?

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

Fun facts

Where can we find them?

Map of Japan

The Japanese macaque lives across most of Japan. They do not live on the north island called Hokkaido. They live on the other three main islands of Japan including Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku. They mostly live in mountainous cold areas. The area you can find them in has been coloured in blue.

What do they look like?

They have pink/red faces and bottoms, and their fur is grey or brown. Their fur gets thicker in the winter to keep them warm and thinner in the summer to keep them cool.

Japanese macaques can be 52-57cm tall and can weigh up to 11KG.

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

Macaques live in groups of up to 30. They work together to find food and eat a variety of smaller animals and plants. In the winter they will also eat insects, crabs and bird eggs.

Macaques can live in temperatures as low as -20'C. They will spend time bathing in natural hot springs to keep warm, and cuddling together in groups to share warmth.

Mothers will carry babies on their backs to keep them safe until they are old enough and big enough to look after themselves.

Fun facts

Macaques are excellent swimmers.

Macaques learnt to soak in warm natural springs by watching humans doing it first.

Young macaques will make snowballs and play with them.

They like to wash their food before they eat it.

Tsushima Cat

Where can we find them?

What do they look like?

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

Fun facts

Where can we find them?

Map of Japan

The Tsushima cat can only be found on the small island of Tsushima which is in the South West of Japan. There are only about 100 individual cats that live on the island. Only living on one island can be dangerous as this means the cats can not escape from any dangers. People are now working hard to protect these critically endangered cats.

What do they look like?

They have large rounded ears whereas housecats have pointy ears.

They always have black stripes on their head.

They have a large, broad nose with a very good sense of smell.

They are about the same size as a pet cat.

They have spots on their back.

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

Tsushima cats are extremely good hunters and mostly eat mice, birds and insects. Females will live in their own territory, but males will travel over large areas.

The pattern on their coat helps them blend into the undergrowth so they can't be seen by predators and they can hide from their prey.

Fun facts

They change shape through the year. They are fat in the winter and slim in the summer.

They change the colour of their fur coats in the winter and summer to help camouflage.

The cats like to live around villages, gardens and rice fields.

Some people think of these cats as a pest, like rats or certain bugs.

Japanese Marten

Where can we find them?

What do they look like?

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

Fun facts

Where can we find them?

Map of Japan

The Japanese Marten can be found across most of Japan. They are on all of the main islands including Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and the southern part of the northern island, Hakkaido. The area in which you can find them has been coloured blue. Japanese Marten's usually live in forests, but in the summer they spread out into the countryside looking for food.

What do they look like?

Their coat can vary in colour from yellow, to brown or cream. They have white fur on their throat and around the head. Some Martens may have brown or grey fur on their faces.

Japanese Martens are roughly 70cm long including their tail. They weigh between 1 and 1.5kg, with males being slightly larger than females.

Martens have golden eyes and large, sharp canine teeth. They have small pointy ears with excellent hearing. They also have sharp claws on their paws to help them climb trees in their forest home.

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

Martens can live in temperatures as low as -20'C. When the weather is this cold, some Martens have learnt to scavenge food from bins in towns.

They eat insects, fruits, and other small animals like squirrels, mice, birds and bird eggs. They change what they eat depending on the season and what is available.

In the summer, Martens will gather in small groups and spend time playing with each other.

Japanese Martens are excellent tree climbers and use their tails to balance when moving on branches.

Fun facts

Their golden eyes shine at night, and have given them the nickname 'living flashlight'.

They change the colour of their fur coats in the winter and summer to help camouflage.

Martens are usually only awake at night. They are nocturnal.

Martens can live to be 15 years old in the wild.

Red Crowned Crane

Where can we find them?

What do they look like?

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

Fun facts

Where can we find them?

Map of Japan

The Red Crowned Crane can be found all over Japan, in the rivers and marshes. They come and go and sometimes migrate to other countries. However there is always a permanent population on the Northern island called Hokkaido. The areas in which you can find the Red Crowned Crane are coloured in blue.

What do they look like?

Red Crowned Cranes are the largest and heaviest cranes in the world. They are up to 158cm (or 5ft 2inch) tall, and can weigh up to 10.5KG.

Red Crowned Cranes have snow white feathers with a black head and neck, black legs, and some black feathers on the ends of their wings. They have a bald patch on their head that has crimson red skin.

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

They eat a range of plants and small animals, including fish, snails, dragonflies, and even small birds.

Red Crowned Cranes pair up for life, and will dance together every year to strengthen their bond.

They will stand on one leg in winter to keep them warm in the cold weather.

They can swim on water, but chicks are better at this than adults.

Fun facts

It is one of the rarest cranes in the world.

They are considered a symbol of love and represent loyalty.

They can live up to 30 years in the wild, and up to 70 years in captivity.

They are considered a sign of good luck and the cranes are even pictured on the 1000 yen note in Japan.

Japanese Giant Salamander

Where can we find them?

What do they look like?

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

Fun facts

Where can we find them?

Map of Japan

The Japanese Giant Salamander can be found on the three main islands of Japan including Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku. They are mostly found on the Southwest coast. They like to live along rivers. They cannot be found on the northern island called Hokkaido. The area you can find them in has been coloured in blue.

What do they look like?

They can grow up to 150cm (5ft) long and weigh up to 25KG.

Their skin is brown and black to help them hide between the rocks in the river.

They have very small eyes, and a mouth that is as wide as its head.

These salamanders have 4 toes on their front feet and 5 toes on their back feet.

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

Giant salamanders hide in the day and come out at night to hide from any dangers.

When scared, they will give off a strong smelling milky substance to scare away the problem.

They use their strong tails to help them swim in the strong river currents.

The Japanese Giant Salamander can breathe through its mouth and through its skin.

What are their special skills and how do they behave?

The salamander is thought to have inspired the myth about the Kappa.

The male salamander cares for the eggs and keeps them clean using his tail

They can live to be up to 80 years old in the wild.

They can regrow arms and legs if they lose them.