Japanese Animals | List of Japanese Animals With Description

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Japanese Animals: Animals are a great creation of God, that live on our Earth besides humans. They are a group of widespread inhabitants who coexist in various environments within the Earth. These animals are of various types including Tundra animals, traditional Japanese animals and many more species.

This article has been exclusively compiled to bring to our dear learners, a category of rare Japanese animals that exist on earth. Knowing about animals is important especially because as humans, it is our duty to know about these various zoo animals in Japan.

This article contains a conclusive list of Japanese animals which include the world-famous Japanese macaque.

Study the most important English Vocabulary Words identified by our experts and learn the right vocabulary to use in your day to day conversations

List of Japanese Animals

Name of Japanese animals

Description on the Japanese animals on the list

Asian black bears

The Asiatic black bear is a magnificent bear of medium to large size with a unique and large rounded head and a small set of eyes. It has large ears that are farther apart as compared to those of an American black bear. This species has a body that’s heavy, and its legs are solid and strong with broad paws.

The bear walks on the soles of its feet, like humans do. It has a very short tail that can hardly be spotted under its long and coarse coat. Its fur is black with a ‘V’ type of shape of light beigish to whitish on its chest, a small beige to a whitish crescent on its throat, and a petite white spot on its chin.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Suborder Caniformia
Family Ursidae
Genus Ursus
Scientific Name Ursus thibetanus

Finless porpoise

This species are finless porpoises which are named for and characterised by the absence of a dorsal fin. Instead of their dorsal fin, a small elevation on their backs rises just behind their blowhole and goes as far as the tail flukes.

Meagre circular bumps known as tubercles cover the bump. This species has an unfused neck vertebra, that enables unrestricted head movement, and they also have a small, curving mouth, which is about half of them and they have pink eyes. Their smooth body is bluish to greyish, but, in northern China and Japan adults of this kind are light grey.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Artiodactyla
Suborder Cetacea
Family Phocoenidae
Genus Neophocaena
Scientific Name Neophocaena phocaenoides

Foxes

Gray foxes are dogs of medium size with large bodies and relatively short legs. The individuals living at high elevations which when compared to those at low elevations are somewhat more prominent, and males of this kind are also somewhat more extensive and more robust than females and have a longer pelvis.

After birth, the fur of grey foxes is dark brown in colour. As adults, their fur is turns to a mixture of white, grey, red, and black. Their tail is almost about one-third of their body’s whole length, with a distinct black stripe on the top and a spot of black. The rest of their body is grey, and the top of its head, is back with grey sides. Around the eyes this species has a thin black stripe that runs horizontally from the outer corner of the eye.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Suborder Caniformia
Family Canidae
Genus Urocyon
Scientific Name Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Giant salamanders

The Japanese giant salamander whose scientific name is Andrias japonicas is a unique species of salamander in the family of Cryptobranchidae. The species is endemic to Japan conclusively, known as the giant salamander.

The species has a length of up to 1.5 m; and it is the third-largest salamander in the whole world, only being crossed by the very similar species and a close relative, Chinese giant salamander and South China giant salamander.

There are currently remaining five known members of this family of Cryptobranchidae, among which the Giant Salamander is a part.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Amphibia
Order Urodela
Family Cryptobranchidae
Genus Andreas
Species A. japonicus
Scientific name Andrias japonicus

Japanese Animals 2

Green phesants

The green pheasant whose scientific name is Phasianus Versicolor, alternatively known as the Japanese green pheasant, is a widespread and an omnivorous bird which is native to the Japanese archipelago, to which the species is endemic. Some taxonomic authorities do consider it a subspecies of the common pheasant, known as Phasianus colchicus. It is also regarded as the national bird of Japan.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Galliformes
Family Phasianidae
Genus Phasianus
Species P. versicolor
Binomial name Phasianus versicolor

Iriomote cat

The Iriomote cat that lives only on the island of Iriomote, off of Japan; is a subspecies of the leopard cat family. It is viewed by countless biologists as a “living fossil,” and is not much altered from its primitive form.

The species was first described by Dr Imaizumi of famous Tokyo’s National Science Museum in 1967.

According to him, this wild cat is almost about the size of a domestic cat and also has the characteristic elongated body, a low-slung build and short legs similar to that of a predator that forages in thick undergrowth.

This animal species survives in the wild live for seven to almost eight years, and eight to nine in captivity, their most extended lifespan is known in captivity to be fifteen years.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Suborder Feliformia
Family Felidae
Genus Prionailurus
Scientific Name Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis

Japanese boars

The Japanese boar whose scientific name is Sus scrofa leucomystax, is alternatively known as the white-moustached pig, the inoshishi or Yama kujira, ehich means mountain whale. It is a subspecies of wild boar that is native to all of Japan, except for Hokkaido and the Islands of Ryukyu.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Artiodactyla
Family Suidae
Genus Sus
Species S. scrofa
Subspecies S. s. leucomystax
Scientific name Sus scrofa leucomystax

Japanese flying squirrel

The Japanese dwarf flying squirrel whose scientific name is Pteromys momonga, is the Nihon momonga, which is one of two flying squirrels’ species in the genus of Pteromys. It is exclusively native to Japan, where it inhabits sub-alpine forests and boreal or evergreen forests on the islands of Kyushu and Honshu.

The species grows to a length of eight inches and has a membrane connecting its wrists and ankles together, and enabling it to glide from tree to tree.

During the day, this squirrel hides in a hole, in a coniferous tree, and emerges at night to feed on buds, fruits and seeds. This squirrel faces no critical threats and has a wide range which is relatively common.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Rodentia
Family Sciuridae
Genus Pteromys
Species P. momonga
Scientific name Pteromys momonga

Japanese Animals 1

Japanese serow

Japanese serows are small goat-antelopes native to Japan. Their fur is whitish around the neck, and on the body may be black, black with a dorsal white spot, dark brown, or whitish; the coat lightens in summer. The fur is very bushy, especially the tail. Both sexes have short, backward-curving horns and are difficult to distinguish by sight.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Artiodactyla
Suborder Bovidae
Family Caprinae
Genus Capricornis
Scientific Name Capricornis Crispus

Leopard cat

The Leopard cat is quite the size of a large housecat. But thier is small, with round eyes, and a short muzzle. The pale wool of the animal is usually tawny-coloured, whereas the belly is whitish. Theis species has rosettes all over their body and tails.

The animals are usually heavier in the northern parts of their range, dispensing paler and longer coats. Meanwhile, those living in wintry habitats exhibit lighter coat colours than cats, living in densely forested environments and having dark-tawny fur.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Suborder Feliformia
Family Felidae
Genus Prionailurus
Scientific Name Prionailurus bengalensis

Macaque monkeys

This Old-World monkey is endemic exclusively to India. The Bonnet macaque is so-called because of exhibiting a cap-like coil of fur on its head that points outward from the centre. The overall colouration of this animal is dusky brown to golden yellow with a red face and black ears and lower lip.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Primates
Suborder Haplorhini
Family Simiiformes
Subfamily Cercopithecidae
Genus Macaca
Scientific Name Macaca radiata

Mamushi snakes

Mamushi is a famous venomous pitviper species which is found in Japan and Russia. It is among the most venomous snakes foind in modern Japan. Each year, around three thousand people in Japan are attacked or bitten by a mamushi snake.

Their body patterns consist of a pale grey, reddish to brownish, or yellow-brown background, covered with a series of irregularly shaped lateral patches. These patches are bordered with black and frequently have lighter centres.

Their head is dark brownish or black, with pale-grey or beige sides.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Suborder Serpentes
Family Viperidae
Genus Gloydius
Scientific Name Gloydius blomhoffii

Pika

Northern pikas have small rounded ears, shortened legs with five toes on each foot, and also furry soles. Their smooth long hair is reddish to brownish in the summers but much greyer in winter. The underparts are fully white, tinged with reddish or brown.

Northern pikas vary vastly in size and colouring across their vast range. These animals shed their fur twice per year, bearing a reddish-brown coat in the summer and a greyish-brown coat in winter.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Lagomorpha
Family Ochotonidae
Genus Ochotona
Scientific Name Ochotona Hyperborea

Red-crowned cranes

The Red-crowned Crane is the world’s second most rare crane species. It is a tall, beautiful bird, that is mainly whitish with black underwings. Males of this kind have black cheeks, throats, and necks, whereas in females, these parts are pearly-grey.

An adult crane also has a bare patch of skin on the top of its bright red head. Its beak is olive to green in colour, and its legs are black. The juvenile cranes are comparable in appearance, though without the red crown and the black tips on their outer flight feathers, they look unique and royal.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Aves
Class Neornithes
Order Neognathae
Suborder Neoaves
Family Gruiformes
Subfamily Gruidae
Genus Grus
Scientific Name Grus japonensis

Sables

The Sable is a unique antelope species with a longish face, and dark mane. They have very impressive ringed horns that rise vertical to curve backwards. When arching or bending their necks and standing with their heads high above, and tails outstretched, these antelope look very similar to horses.

They appear larger than they are. The males of this species keep this position even when galloping, and the arched neck is significant to manifest dominance in behaviour.

Sables change their coat colour as they grow older. While calves are born with a reddish to brownish colour and virtually devoid of any markings; a series of white markings appear as they grow older and their coat also becomes much darker.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Artiodactyla
Suborder Bovidae
Family Hippotraginae
Genus Hippotragus
Scientific Name Hippotragus niger

Sika deer

The Sika deer, alternatively known as the Spotted Deer, is a species of deer native to much of Eastern Asia and introduced to a lot of other parts of the world.

The Sika deer are both small or medium-sized, depending on where they live. All deer’s of this species have tiny heads and shorter legs. Males’ antlers usually have three or four points, though some with a more dominant role have more; and females have two black bumps on their heads instead.

The Sika deer are yellowish to brownish to reddish-brown in colour, and they also have a dark dorsal stripe which is encircled in the summer by white spots. However, during winter, their colour is darker grey to black with no apparent marks.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Artiodactyla
Suborder Ruminantia
Family Cervidae
Subfamily Cervinae
Genus Cervus
Scientific Name Cervus Nippon

Spider crabs

The Japanese spider crab whose scientific name is Macrocheira kaempferi is a unique crab species of the marine crab that dwells in the waters around Japan; having the largest leg span of any arthropod.

The genus of Macrocheira contains multiple species and this crab species are sought by Crab fisheries in Japan, and are considered a widespread delicacy in Japan.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Malacostraca
Order Decapoda
Infraorder Brachyura
Family Inachidae
Genus Macrocheira
Species M. kaempferi
Scientific name Macrocheira kaempferi

Tanuki

The Raccoon dog is a unique canid native to the Eastern part of Asia. It is unrelated to raccoon dogs, and it is a very close relative of true foxes rather than the domestic dog types.

The winter fur of Raccoon dogs is plentiful and thick with dense underfur and coarse hairs, which protects them from low temperatures. This fur is of a dirty, earthy and brownish, or brownish-grey color with black guard hairs.

The tail is of this species darker than the torso, and a dark stripe is present on their backs, which broadens towards the shoulders, forming a cross shape. Their abdomen is yellowish to brownish, while the chest is darker brown or almost blackish.

Their muzzle is covered in short hair, which increases in length and quantity behind the eyes. The cheeks are coated with long, whisker-like hairs. The summer fur is brighter and reddish-straw colored. Rare, white Raccoon dogs occur in Japan and in China.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Suborder Caniformia
Family Canidae
Genus Nyctereutes
Scientific Name Nyctereutes procyonoides

Tsushima leopards

The leopard cat whose scientific name is Prionailurus bengalensis, is a unique and small wild cat native to the continental South, Southe-astern, and Eastern Asian region.

Since 2002 this species has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is broadly distributed although threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Suborder Feliformia
Family Felidae
Subfamily Felinae
Genus Prionailurus
Species P. bengalensis
Scientific name Prionailurus bengalensis

Ussuri brown bear

The Ussuri brown bear that we also known as the Ursus arctos lasiotus or, alternatively as the Ezo brown bear and also the black grizzly bear, is a widespread subspecies of the brown bear or the community of the Eurasian brown bear known as the Ursus arctos arctos.

They are among the largest brown bear species, and a very large Ussuri brown bear may approach the other Kodiak bear species in terms of size. However, this species is not the same subspecies as the grizzly bear.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Ursidae
Genus Ursus
Species U. arctos
Subspecies U. a. lasiotus
Trinomial name Ursus arctos lasiotus

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