The Hallowell’s tree frog – Okinawa

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Admin11

The Hallowell’s tree frog ( Hyla hallowellii ) is found on Okinawa, Amami and Tokunoshima Island.

Scientific name: Hyla hallowellii
Common name: Hallowell’s tree frog
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Forests, grassy areas and farm fields near water.
Diet: Insects
Average size: 30mm-40mm
Color: Bright green with a white belly

The Hallowell’s tree frog is fairly common but not often seen. The beautiful frog lives high above the ground in trees making it difficult to find and photograph.

The Hallowell’s tree frog

They are easy to locate during mating season. The male produces a fairly high pitch squeak sound over and over.

The Hallowell’s tree frog -vocal sac

The Hallowell’s tree frog -mating call

The Hallowell’s tree frog

Let’s protect the wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands.

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

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 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 Sword-tailed newt – Endangered species by Shawn Miller

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Admin11

The Okinawan Sword-tailed newt (Cynops ensicauda popei) is an endangered species found on the main islands of Okinawa an Amami. It is currently listed as endangered on the IUCN red list of threatened species. This amphibian is decreasing in numbers due to deforestation and road kill.

Scientific name: Cynops ensicauda popei
Distribution: Okinawa and Anami Islands
Habitat: Forests, wetlands and freshwater streams
Diet: Amphibian eggs, tadpoles, snails, worms and insects
Average size: 100-180mm

Sword tailed newt with stripes

They all have bright orange bellies, which serve as a warning sign to predators that they are poisonous. When threatened they produce a transparent skin toxin.

Poisonous animals are toxic if you eat them or ingest their secretions. Irritations may occur after handling these newts if you have open wounds. Avoid rubbing your eyes or placing your hands in your mouth.

The newt photographed in its natural habitat.

Sword-tailed newt in natural habitat

The aquatic stage of the newt has external gills. Photographed on Amami Island

Juvenile Cynops ensicauda ensicauda -Amami Island

Sword tailed newt -Onna village

Sword tailed newt – Onna village

Sword tailed newt -yanbaru forest

An average looking sword-tailed newt with a blood sucking leech

Sword-tailed newt with leech

The Sword- tailed newt is often found crossing the road on rainy days in northern Okinawa.

Newt crossing

The government has designed specialized wildlife steps for animals that get trapped in roadside drainage ditches. These steps allow the newts to crawl out safely.

Wildlife steps

Please pay attention to crossing wildlife

Road kill- Sword tailed newt Sword tailed newt

If you like newts, you have to check out the coolest newt on the planet, Anderson’s crocodile newt.

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.

The King of the Yanbaru forest – Holst’s frog

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Admin11

The Holst’s frog ( Babina holsti ) is a rare species found in northern Okinawa. It is currently listed endangered on the IUCN red list. It is designated as a natural monument by the Okinawa Prefecture. This large amphibian is decreasing in numbers due to habitat loss.

Scientific name: Babina holsti (Boulenger, 1892)
Distribution: Northern Okinawa-Japan
Habitat: Forest streams
Diet: Insects, worms, snails and small reptiles
Average Size: 100mm -125mm

The King- Holst’s frog

The Holst’s frog is the largest frog found on Okinawa. It hides in holes, crevices and small caves in the day.

Searching for food

This is a size comparison photograph taken with the iPhone 6s. This is a good size frog but they do get larger than this.

Comparison – Iphone6s

The juveniles have a dark brown patch on the top section of the body. They blend in very well with their habitat.

Juvenile Holst’s frog

They are sometimes found searching for food on the back roads of Northern Okinawa.

Juvenile Holst’s frog – Yanbaru

Be careful and pay close attention to crossing wildlife!

Crossing wildlife

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.

Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko, Endangered species of the Ryukyu Islands!

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Admin11

Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko is a beautiful lizard found throughout the Ryukyu Islands. It is currently listed endangered on the IUCN red list of threatened species. This lizard is decreasing in numbers due to poaching, deforestation, and the threat of feral cats. The lizard is high valued in the illegal pet trade market and needs to protected. This is one of my favorite reptiles to photograph on my night adventures in Okinawa.

- Scientific name: Goniurosaurus kuroiwae

- Distribution: Okinawa Islands

- Habitat: Leaf littered forests

- Diet: Worms and insects

Average Size: 110mm -130mm

Shawn Miller Featured- Wildlife As Canon Sees. National Geographic October 2017

Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko © Shawn Miller

This is the first ground gecko I photographed in 2010. I found it under a piece of carpet in Onna Village. Illegal dumping is a huge problem in Okinawa.

1st Ground Gecko © Shawn Miller

In the daytime, they live in caves, crevices, and holes in the ground

They come out to feed at night.

When they feel threatened they will stand up on all fours and try to intimate you with a stare down.

They have some strange looking feet –

When I approached this ground gecko it stayed in place. I found three Mosquitoes sucking the blood right out of it. the first time I observed mosquitoes on a lizard.

The juveniles have vibrant orange stripes down the back and rings around their tails.

Juvenile ground gecko

This beautiful Goniurosaurus kuroiwae orientalis was photographed on Ie Island.

Goniurosaurus kuroiwae orientalis

A wide-angle macro perspective of a ground gecko in central Okinawa.

The Banded ground gecko (Goniurosaurus splendens) is endemic to the Island of Tokunoshima. It is designated as a living natural monument in Kagoshima prefecture.

Toyama’s ground gecko (Goniurosaurus toyami) is endemic to Iheya Island. It is currently listed as critically endangered.

Pay attention to crossing wildlife!

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

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Tag Archives: herping in japan

The Hallowell’s tree frog – Okinawa

Okinawan Sword-tailed newt – Endangered species by Shawn Miller

The King of the Yanbaru forest – Holst’s frog

Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko, Endangered species of the Ryukyu Islands!