Gigantic Banana Spiders on Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Admin11

The golden orb weaver (Nephila pilipes) is the largest spider found on Okinawa. They can be found in parks, forests and gardens. This massive spider is fairly common on Okinawa.

Always look up!

They usually make their web up high in trees. I have also seen their web in the middle of a trail at eye level.

Scientific name: Nephila pilipes
Common Name: Golden orb weaver / banana spider
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Forests, gardens and parks
Diet: Insects
Average Size: Female 17-20cm

Their web is extremely strong. They have been know to catch small bats, cicadas and a variety of large insects

This species displays sexual dimorphism, The female is much larger than the male.

Nephila pilipes fluoresces under ultraviolet light. The fluorescence serves as a warning sign for large animals. Making a spider web this size takes a lot of time and effort.

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Gigantic Hermit Crabs Found On Okinawa

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Admin11

Last year, a friend and I stumbled upon a local beach with gigantic hermit crabs. All of the hermit crabs were found adapting with non-native seashells.

Indonesian hermit crab (Coenbita brevimanus)

Where did these shells come from? The shell shack

The shell shack is an old wooden shed filled with boxes of imported craft shells from the Philippines. The hermit crabs found an opening and took advantage of this real estate.

Polished muffin (Ryssota ovum)

The most abundant shell was the polished muffin (Ryssota ovum) land snail. This shell is native to the Philippines and is twice the size of any land snail on Okinawa. The muffin shell is a perfect mobile home for the land hermit crabs. It’s lightweight, durable and large.

perspective photograph

The hermit crabs were healthy and doing well. I didn’t see any hermit crabs adapting with plastic or any twist top caps.

Land hermit crab (Coenobita cavipes)

Land hermit crab (Coenobita cavipes)

I also found hermit crabs adapting with a variety of marine shells from the Philippines at the same location.

Babylonia arealata (Coenobita purpureus)

hexaplex cichoreum (Coenobita cavipes)

Volema carinifera (Coenobita cavipes)

Melanella candida (Coenobita purpureus)

Casmaria erinaceus (Coenobita purpureus)

hexaplex cichoreum (Coenobita purpureus)

Turbo chrysostomus (Coenobita purpureus)

Tonna sulcosa (Coenobita cavipes)

Learn more about hermit crabs and adaptive behavior ” Crabs with beach trash homes ”

My Mission: To Protect and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands for Future Generations. – If you would like to join my journey, check out my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

House Geckos of Okinawa

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Admin11

The house gecko is the most abundant reptile on Okinawa. They can be found in apartments, buildings, public restrooms, outdoor phone booths, and vending machines. In many countries, they are considered good luck in the home.

Scientific name: Hemidactylus frenatus
Japanese name: Yamori
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Forests, apartments, and public restrooms
Diet: Insects and small spiders
Average Size: 50mm-67mm

Interesting facts about house geckos –

They have the ability to lay eggs on vertical walls
They have no eyelids
They can walk upside-down
When threatened they can release their tail
They communicate by making loud chirping sounds

House geckos have amazing night vision.

Their tongues are used for grooming, catching food, and searching for a mate.

They have specialized walking pads with tiny hairs called setae. These hairs allow them to stick to surfaces and even walk up vertical walls.

Geckos are often found around artificial light sources (vending machines). The lights attract insects during the night. A buffet for the geckos!

Geckos and other wildlife are found in public restrooms. The light source attracts a variety of insects. Always check the scene before you sit down, you never know what’s hiding behind the toilet.

During the day, geckos seek shelter in warm areas. House geckos are responsible for high repair costs on air conditioning units. They crawl on the AC circuit board and cause it to short circuit. Repair costs are very expensive.

House geckos usually lay only two eggs. This is a good example of a communal nesting site. These eggs were laid on a vertical concrete wall.

Geckos are often found crossing public roads during the night. Please pay attention to crossing wildlife. The ants took advantage of the roadkill.

I often find geckos on local beaches near the coastal forest. Juvenile Ryukyu odd-toothed snakes (Akamata) prefer to feed on these sand-dwelling geckos.

Even the geckos have to adapt with our waste. I found this gecko under a piece of marine debris washed ashore in northern Okinawa.

My Mission: To Protect and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands for Future Generations

If you would like to help me make a difference Please check out my Patreon Site https://www.patreon.com/MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Frogs of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on June 23, 2019 by Admin11

Individuals that study amphibians are know as herpetologists. The act of searching for these beautiful animals is known as herping. Okinawa has twelve species of frogs. They all have the ability to live in the water and on the land. Most are nocturnal and feed on insects during the night. They are found in local parks, forests, streams, puddles, and on the road at times.

If you would like to learn more about a specific frog, I attached a link above each photograph. Links in red are endangered species.

Rana ulma – Ryukyu brown frog

Babina holsti – Holsts frog

Odorrana ishikawae – Ishikawa’s frog

Limnonectes namiyei – Namie’s frog

Hyla halowelii – Hallowell’s tree frog

Odorrana narina – Ryukyu Tip-nosed Frog

Rhacophorus viridis viridis – Okinawa green tree frog

Rana limnocharis limnocharis – Asian grass frog

Polypedates leucomystax leucomystax – White jawed frog

Microhyla okinavensis – The Ornate narrow-mouth frog

Buegeria japonica – Ryukyu Kajika frog

Rana catesbeiana – American bullfrog

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines.

Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Searching for the Ryukyu Ghost Crab by Shawn Miller

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Admin11

Ghost crabs are one of the fastest terrestrial crabs on the planet. They live in burrows underneath the sand on the coastline. They are found scavenging for food early in the morning and late in the evening to avoid predators. These sand crabs can change colors to adapt to their environment. In Okinawa, we have two species of Ghost crabs, the Horn-eyed crab (Ocypode ceratophthalmus) and the Smooth-eyed ghost crab (Ocypode cordimanus).

Horn-eyed ghost crab at Maede flats

Ghost crabs have three ways to avoid predators.

Stay close to their burrow and retreat into it quickly.
Escape into the surf zone and burrow underneath the wet sand.
Stay still and slowly dig into the beach sand

Ghost crab burrow

Elusive ghost crab

These crabs have the ability to fold their eyes into grooves for protection.

Ghost crab - Fill flash and back-lighting Stella 200

Ghost crab & Stella 2000

This large ghost crab tried to intimidate me with its large claws and scary shadow.

The sand dwelling hunter

These crabs were photographed on white for the Meet Your Neighbours Biodiversity Project. The project is dedicated to connecting people worldwide with the wildlife in their communities. All images are used for conservation awareness and educational purposes.

MYN Biodiversity Project Japan.

Juvenile – Ocypode sp

The Juveniles can be extremely colorful depending on their surrounding environment. I have been finding more and more trash washed on the shoreline. Could the crabs possibly be adapting to the colors of the sounding marine debris washed ashore?

the Smooth-eyed ghost crab ( Ocypode cordimanus)

All ghost crabs are scavengers, mainly feeding on seaweed, fruit, seeds, other crabs, turtle hatchlings, and insects.

feeding on beetles

Feeding on a hermit crab

Feeding on a shrew

These crabs are beautiful creatures and hopefully, you will get the opportunity to see one in the wild.

Pink ghost crab

People often ask me what is the purpose of conservation photography? Having the ability to affect some form of positive change in the environment and make a global difference with the photographs. Hopefully, the images will inspire people to care more about nature and make a positive difference in the environment.

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

White Jawed Frog – Amphibians of the Ryukyu Islands by Shawn Miller

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Admin11

The White Jawed Frog (Polypedates leucomystax leucomystax) is an invasive species found throughout the Ryukyu Islands. I have photographed this introduced tree frog on Okinawa, Ie, Izena, Kume island.

Scientific name: Polypedates leucomystax leucomystax
Common name: White Jawed Frog
Distribution: Okinawa, Kume, and Iheya and Ie Island.
Habitat: Forest, farm fields, drainage ditches, and ponds
Diet: Insects
Average size: 45mm-70mm
Color: Brown with a white line on the upper lip

White Jawed Frog © Shawn Miller

I often find these frogs hanging out on fences, concrete walls, farming buckets and other manmade structures. They usually stay up high to avoid the threat of snakes.

The White Jawed frog hunting © Shawn Miller

Sometimes habu snakes climb these fences in search of a meal. Majority of the time the snakes are unsuccessful.

Venomous Habu Snake © Shawn Miller

Tree frogs have the ability to inflate into a defensive posture, making themselves appear too large to eat.

Frog defensive posture © Shawn Miller

It is extremely rare to see snakes eating in the wild. If you catch this moment in nature consider yourself lucky.

Snake Predation © Shawn Miller

The breeding season in Okinawa stretches from May through August.

Mating pair Yanbaru forest © Shawn Miller

Mating fogs © Shawn Miller

They construct a foam nest above a still water source. The foam liquefies when the eggs are ready to hatch.

Cluster of mating frogs ,Iphone 8 and Light and Motion sola 1200

A cluster of mating frogs © Shawn Miller

Photographed on white for the Meet Your Neighbours Global Biodiversity Project. All images are used for awareness and educational purposes.

White Jawed Frog (Polypedates leucomystax leucomystax)

MYN Project Okinawa © Shawn Miller

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Okinawan Tree Lizards of the Ryukyu Islands by Shawn Miller

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Admin11

The Okinawan tree lizard (Japarula polygonata polygonata) is found throughout the Ryukyu Islands. It is listed as Vulnerable on The Okinawa Red Data Book of threatened species. Habitat destruction and collection have greatly reduced the populations of the beautiful reptile.

- Scientific name: Japarula polygonata polygonata

- Common name: Okinawan tree lizard or Monkey lizard

- Distribution: Ryukyu Islands

- Habitat: Trees and bushes

- Diet: Insects

- Average size: 17-27cm

Color: Green and yellow

A great place to see this beautiful lizard is in the Yanbaru forest.

Check out those sharp teeth © Shawn Miller

If you’re lucky you can find one eating an insect or two.

Okinawan tree lizard feeding on a bee © Shawn Miller

Okinawan tree lizard feeding on a tiger beetle © Shawn Miller

Sometimes the monkey lizard is not so lucky. It is the Ryukyu odd-toothed snakes favorite meal.

Ryukyu odd-tooth feeding © Shawn Miller

Photographed on white for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project. All images are used for conservation awareness and educational purposes.

Japarula polygonata polygonata -MYN Project © Shawn Miller

This was the first time I found a pair sleeping in a spider monkey fern tree.

Pair of sleeping monkey lizards © Shawn Miller

Female monkey-lizard © Shawn Miller

Japalura polygonata ishigakiensis is a subspecies found on Ishigaki and Iriomote Island.

Japalura polygonata ishigakiensis © Shawn Miller

Face closeup -Japalura polygonata ishigakiensis © Shawn Miller

A closeup of the protective scales.

lizard scales © Shawn Miller

Please pay attention to crossing wildlife.

Amami tree lizard crossing the road

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Seashells of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on May 20, 2017 by Admin11

The beautiful seashells of the Ryukyu Islands.

It all started in 1989, I went to a friend’s house and saw some beautiful seashells displayed on a counter-top. My first thought was that they were fake or man-made. The intricate design of the Venus Comb Murex shell caught my eye. I was fascinated by the design and wanted to learn more about the animal that produced this beautiful shell.

Murex spicatus -Venus comb murex© Shawn Miller

I continued to collect, photograph and read more about marine mollusks from the Ryukyu Islands. I eventually started contributing my collection samples to worldwide museums, scientists, specialists and images for various scientific publications. I currently do not collect shells anymore but enjoy photographing the marine snails in their natural habitat.

General rules to shell collecting

Be respectful of the environment.
Only collect dead specimens
Avoid over collecting sea-shells
If you turn over rocks, place them back in the original position
Return all unwanted shells back to the coastline

Below are some of my favorite shells found on Okinawa.

Semipallium dianae © Shawn Miller

Neocancilla takiisaoi © Shawn Miller

Cardium victor – Heart shell © Shawn Miller

Lambis scorpius – scorpion conch © Shawn Miller

Morum ponderosum © Shawn Miller

Annachlamys reevei © Shawn Miller

Chicoreus ryukyuensis © Shawn Miller

Cypraea (Blasicrura) luchuana (Kuroda,1960) Okinawa

Cypraea (Blasicrura) luchuana © Shawn Miller

Gloripallium speciosum – sunray scallop © Shawn Miller

Avoid handling the venomous cone shells. They are often found reef walking during low tide.

Venomous cones shells of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

The trident trumpet is sought after for its beauty. This marine snail is one of the few natural predators of the crown of thorn starfish. This large snail also feeds on a variety of starfish as well.

Trident trumpet © Shawn Miller

Sinezona milleri (Geiger & Sasaki, 2009) – Named for the collector of the type specimens, Shawn Miller of Nagahama, Okinawa, for his continued support in malacological research by providing marine sediment samples of Okinawa.

Sinezona milleri (Geiger & Sasaki , 2009)

Hemilienardia shawnmilleri. A new species named after naturalist and underwater photographer Shawn Miller. Described by Shawn Wiedrick.

Hemilienardia shawnmilleri

Calliostoma shawni (Poppe & Tagarao, 2020). A new species from Okinawa named after naturalist and underwater photographer Shawn Miller

Calliostoma shawni (Poppe & Tagarao, 2020)

This Giant helmet shell (Cassis cornuta) conformed around the rubber gasket (Marine debris). An interesting photograph, but our trash is becoming a serious problem.

My daughter and I found this mutated strawberry conch shell in 2018. This is the first four-eyed conch shell I have seen. They naturally have two eyes, not four.

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Know your nature with Shawn Miller. Have a great day!

Hummingbirds on Okinawa By Shawn Miller

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Admin11

I’m sorry to disappoint you but we do not have any hummingbirds on Okinawa. We do have hawk moths that resemble hummingbirds. The hawk moths are also called hummingbird moths. They are extremely fast and challenging to photograph.

I used a slow shutter speed to convey motion in the wings of the Hummingbird hawk moth (Macroglossum corythus)

Hummingbird hawk-moth

I often find the insects feeding early morning and or late in the evening. They feed using a long proboscis to drink the nectar.

Hummingbird hawk-moth

They are hard to see since they are small (35 -45mm) and move extremely fast. They can be heard creating a humming sound as they fly by. They hover for a short period of time collecting the nectar and move on to the next flower.

Hummingbird hawk-moth

The Convolvulus hawk moth ( Agrius convolvuli ) is the largest hawk moth I have seen on Okinawa.

Convolvulus hawk moth

The Impatiens Hawk moth feeds in the evening. I found this moth resting on a plant.

Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae)

Photographed on white for the Meet Your Neighbours project

Hawkmoth – MYN

Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae) larvae photographed on white using the MYN studio technique.

Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae) larvae

Green Pergesa Hawk moth larvae ( Pergesa acteaus)

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Ryukyu Kajika frog – Amphibians of the Ryukyu Islands

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Admin11

The Ryukyu Kajika frog ( Buergeria japonica ) is found throughout the Ryukyu Islands. It is the most common frog found on Okinawa.

Scientific name: Buergeria japonica
Common name: Ryukyu Kajika frog
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Forests, mountain slopes, drainage ditches and farm fields.
Diet: Small Insects
Average size: 25mm-40mm
Color: Olive green, brown and golden yellow

This small frog is a master of camouflage. I often find it on rocks, plants, trees, drainage ditches and even our trash.

Ryukyu Kajika frog on tatami mat

Ryukyu Kajika frog -macro

Ryukyu Kajika frog – Kume Island

Ryukyu Kajika frog

Ryukyu Kajika frog- manhole cover

This is the only frog on Okinawa that is capable of living on the shoreline next to the ocean. I have photographed them as close as five feet away from the saltwater.

Ryukyu Kajika frog- skin discoloration

Beach-dwelling Kajika frog

A beautiful Kajika frog in the jungles of Iriomote Island.

Kajika frog -Iriomote Island

Photographed on white for the Meet Your Neighbours Project

Ryukyu Kajika frog – MYN

The males turn a golden yellow during mating season. The season stretches from April to September on Okinawa.

Ryukyu Kajika frog – Amami Island

Ryukyu Kajika frog – mating

Ryukyu Kajika frog – drainage ditch

The eggs are laid in slow-moving and still water sources. The eggs will develop into tadpoles and eventually transform into baby frogs. I often find tadpoles thriving in farming water buckets.

Juvenile Kajika frog

The summer months provide a great opportunity for natural predators.The frogs come together in large numbers.

Crab feeding on frogs

Pryer’s keelback feeding

Never give up

Never give up -Okinawa, Japan

If you see frogs, there is a possibility that snakes are nearby. The snakes patiently wait for frogs in drainage ditches and still water sources. The Kajika frog is the Hime habu’s favourite meal.

Hime habu – GoPro

Have a great day!

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Tag Archives: explore the nature of okinawa

Gigantic Banana Spiders on Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Gigantic Hermit Crabs Found On Okinawa

House Geckos of Okinawa

Frogs of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Searching for the Ryukyu Ghost Crab by Shawn Miller

White Jawed Frog – Amphibians of the Ryukyu Islands by Shawn Miller

Okinawan Tree Lizards of the Ryukyu Islands by Shawn Miller

Seashells of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Hummingbirds on Okinawa By Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Kajika frog – Amphibians of the Ryukyu Islands