RFI: Japanese Mammals this summer (1 Viewer)

Hey folks

Normally I don't like double posting questions, but so far this has gotten no response on the mammal board and I figured this might reach a larger audience. I am spending the summer based in Tokyo (with a week in Kyoto and Sapporo respectively), and am interested in seeing as many new mammals as I can (besides the birds and herps of course). I will be doing a fair bit of traveling around, although some of it will be only on the weekends (I am planning on visiting Nanshei Shoto in August after the program ends, and taking a week to hit up the Ogasawara (Bonin) islands.

I have pretty reliable info on some of the commoner things, via Jon Hall's website, the Kantori birding group, and Mark Brazil's old Birdfinding guide, but does anyone have info on these critters?

Finless Porpoise
Bonin Flying Fox
Asiatic Black Bear
Sable
Spotted Seal
Masked Palm Civet
Iriomote Cat
Japanese Dormouse
Northern Pika
Japanese Hare
good bat roosting sites

Any help would be most appreciated

Morgan (aka Mysticete)

Morgan,

These links may or may not be useful, there might be the odd snippets,

http://japan-animals.blogspot.com/
http://japan-animals.blogspot.com/search/label/Iriomote
http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=888&catid=26&subcatid=164
http://natural-japan.net/?cat=15
https://www2.nacos.com/shokado/mammal/image/wmj_sample.pdf

Have you dropped Richard Webb an email?

I've so far only dropped Jon Hall an email. I don't think I have Richard's email (although I know who he is). If you could pm it I would be most appreicated

I have already ordered the new Japanese mammal book (I previously had ordered the herp and bird guides).

Thanks for the links and I will be sure to check them

Hi Morgan:

Although I've lived in Japan for a long time, I'm afraid I can't help you much, except to say that even for the common stuff if you can find a professional guide, then I think you'll be better off.

I have never seen any kind of hare or rabbit in Japan in over 25 years here; I've never seen a bear; or a badger; or a wild tanuki (alive; dead on the road or fat ones that cadge foods from tourists, yes). And nor has my Japanese wife in more years. I've seen a fox once in Hokkaido; a weasel a few times, a marten once (in Tsushima), a squirrel a few times, macaques quite a few times, a boar once. It's true I've never gone looking for these things, but they don't pop out much even if you go around looking for birds quite a bit. A lot of them are nocturnal, and they may be 'common' but their density is not high. Someone who knows where to find the things would be your best bet.

A lot of Japanese woods look likely places for animals and birds to the untrained eye (i.e. mine), but in fact a lot of the woods here are artificial monoculture, and support little wildlife.

I have been to Iriomote, and I can tell you that your chance of seeing the wild cat is extremely slim. The island has a road down one side, and the other side of the island is accessible only by boat (the diving is good). The middle of the island is a mountain forest, and not a place you would go alone, especially at night. There are mass tourist guided canoe/walks (actually very good for beginners, with knowledgeable guides), and there are a couple of tracks you can take without a guide. Getting there is expensive and takes time.

The owner of the pension where we stayed said he had seen the cat's eyes in car headlights on the road at night, but never actually a full one, and nor had most islanders he knew. They say there are only 100 left, and they count them by setting up baited cameras, not by actual eyesight.

A Japanese book I have says that some spotted seals stay all year long at Furen-ko Lake and Notsuke-wan on the east coast of Hokkaido, right at the opposite end of the island from Sapporo. There weren't any visible at these places in May when we went there one year, but there might be some specific point where they hang out that someone would show you if you asked.

The pika seems (according to a map in a book I have) to be very localised from Erimo-misaki in south Hokkaido along the Hidaka mountains to central Hokkaido. I have the impression that hares are easier to find in snowy seasons. I guess they stand out more, especially as they are mostly nocturnal, I believe. The dormouse would need someone who knew an exact spot, I think, as would the palm civet (nocturnal in woods).

The main islands of Japan don't have much in the way of snakes. I've never come across the two (very) poisonous ones, which are both nocturnal, but I've seen the four other mainland ones. As you can see from the list at this site, most of the snake variety is in the southern islands.

http://homepage3.nifty.com/japrep/snake/ejaphebi.htm

Hokkaido might be good for birds in the summer. In most of Japan, however, many birders take a break and look at dragonflies in high summer, as the birds which are there can be very difficult to see in all the growth.

Sorry this isn't any help, and perhaps you knew all this before. In fact, having finished writing, I almost didn't post it. But just so you don't feel you are being ignored. Hope you find someone who does know about these things. In brief, however, don't just wander around in likely looking places hoping to see mammals.

any help is appreciated, and I kind of figure that a lot of these species will need sheer luck (Sable, Civet, etc). I have found info on Asiatic Black bear and Bonin Flying Fox tours, but of course a lot of that is in Japanese, a language I am not fluent in

One of my worries (on the bird front) is that my time in japan is rather late, which might make birding more challenging than it otherwise would be. Particularly in regards to Fairy Pitta and Japanese Paradise Flycatcher, the latter of which is actually one of the top species I want to see. At the very least, I should have enough weekends to mop up most of my targets. And I get to be around when Shorebird migrations kicks up, so I can take a stab at all the East Asian specialities.

Actually, where did you have the "fat and cadgey" Raccoon Dogs. As long as it's unrestrained I will count it...

I'm going to try and get Japanese Paradise Flycatcher myself this year. I've seen it once in a forest behind a temple near my house, but in a dark glade - more a shadow than the bird, but the huge tail is unmistakeable.

I think you said you have Mark Brazil's Birdwatcher's Guide, and there are lots of places around Tokyo which seem to have summer birds, but as I said they are often not very visible (once the breeding is done, and they are hidden away in the green). [Living next to Osaka, it's difficult to get a good excuse for going to Tokyo, since we have all we need here, and I haven't been for ten years, before I started birdwatching.]

For the Fairy Pitta, in Brazil's Guide, 52, Mi-ike might be good if you are going to visit Kyushu, since there appear to be other birds there, too. [Haven't been here, either; my wife says it's not such an attractive place, but I reckon it can't be that bad.]

Kamikochi (25 in Brazil) is a beautiful place and will have birds if you can get there before September (again may not be as visible as you would like).

Also, Furen-ko in eastern Hokkaido is Brazil's favourite place, and sounds good in summer, too. It's quite a trek from Sapporo.

Travel in Japan is expensive, as I expect you know. [We're going to Australia this Golden Week; it's cheaper than a trip of the same length to Hokkaido would be.] I would advise you to get an International Driver's Licence, so you can rent cars, as lots of places will otherwise be inaccessible, though not so much the ones in Tokyo, I guess.

I saw Tanuki in Nagasaki when I was a teacher there; the kind of places we took students on trips often had Tanuki who would waddle around at night to be crisps (potato chips) from the students. I saw a documentary which said that they have litters of up to seventeen!

Good luck. Have to run.