Ryukyu Brown Frog – Amphibians of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Admin11

The Ryukyu Brown frog (Rana ulma) is found throughout the Ryukyu Islands. It is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN list of threatened species. Some of the most beautiful frogs are found on Kume Island.

Scientific name: Rana ulma – Synonym Babina okinavana
Common name: Ryukyu Brown Frog
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Forests, mountain slopes, drainage ditches, and farm fields.
Diet: Insects
Average size: 45mm-65mm
Color: brownThe Ryukyu Brown Frog is found in northern Okinawa. The Yanbaru forest is a wildlife protected area.

Wildlife protection area -Yanbaru forest © Shawn Miller

They blend in very well with the leaf litter, rocks, and the surrounding grass.

(Rana ulma) Ryukyu brown frog © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Brown frog (Rana ulma) © Shawn Miller

Amami brown frog (Rana Kobai)

Rana kobi- Tokuno Island © Shawn Miller

Mating season is during the winter months.

Ryukyu Brown frog mating -Kume, Island © Shawn Miller

A wide-angle perspective of the small brown frog.

Rana ulma – Wide angle macro © Shawn Miller

Pay attention to crossing wildlife. Frogs are often found on the road searching for insects

Bright Orange Rana ulma © Shawn Miller

Rana ulma – crossing the road © Shawn Miller

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

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.

Worms with tongues ! Blind snakes of Okinawa

Posted on July 15, 2017 by Admin11

The Brahminy bind snake (Ramphotyphlops braminus) is a non-venomous snake found throughout the Ryukyu Islands. They are fairly common here on Okinawa. I often find them in drainage ditches, on roads and sidewalks. These small snakes are overlooked and mistaken for worms.

Scientific name: Ramphotyphlops braminus
Local name: Mekurahebi – Brahminy Blind snake
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Forests, Grasslands and sugar cane fields
Diet: Termite pupae and ant larvae
Average size: 15cm -21cm
Color: Dark brown

Blind snake -Okinawa, Japan

What is the main difference between the blind snake and a worm ?

The blind snake has scales, a split tongue and a backbone (vertebrate)
Worms have soft skin with ring like segments called annuli and lack a backbone (Invertebrate)

A photograph of a large earthworm (Pontoscolex sp) I found on Kume Island.

Unidentified earthworm - MYN and under Blue light Kume Island

Unidentified earthworm (15-22cm) Kume Island

The blind snake is the only know snake to be parthenogentic throughout its entire life. The female lays fertile eggs without the need of a male to fertilize the eggs. This is why the blind is so successful in establishing populations.

This small snake is also know as the flower pot snake, thriving in backyard flower pots and gardens.

Flower pot snake -Okinawa

The blind snake produces a powerful foul smelling odor to deter predators when threatened. I found this out by picking the snake up to remove it off the road.

Blind snake -size perspective

The blind snake has a modified sharp pointy tail used for anchoring and as a defense mechanism when attacked .

Blind snake tail

All the blind snakes I have seen on Okinawa are dark brown. My friend Paul found these blind snakes under a rotting log. This was my first time seeing a blue color form.

bind snake color forms

This week I found three dead blind snakes in Kin village. The warm weather (91-93 Fahrenheit) is drying out the top layer of soil and pushing the snakes out on the pavement.

Blind snake -dried from summer heat

Get-Familiarized with the Nature of Okinawa! – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

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

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

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 Light & Motion Stella 2000 rocks part 1 – Okinawa, Japan

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Admin11

The Stella 2000 offers lightweight professional lighting for photographers and videographers. It delivers 2000 lumens of beautiful wide light on high power. It is waterproof to a depth of 100 meters and extremely durable.

Stella 2000 waterproof lighting © Shawn Miller

My favorite features of the Stella 2000

Waterproof to 100 meters
Can be mounted on the camera hot-shoe, light stand, loc-line arms or ball mounts.
Quick adjustable power output control
Fast charging and the ability to use the light when it’s charging

I tested the Stella 2000 in the humid jungle and on the shorelines of northern Okinawa. I used it as a spotting light, hiking light, camera modeling light and video light. I tested the light with the 120-beam angle with no modifiers, with custom-made soft-boxes attached, studio umbrellas and with the combination of on-off camera flash.

I concentrated on the reptiles, amphibians and land crabs of northern Okinawa. Below are some of my favorite photographs.

Shawn Miller – Crabs with beach trash homes. photographed by David Orr

Okinawa green tree frog -Stella 2000 diffused on hotshoe

Okinawa green tree frog -Stella 2000 diffused on the hot-shoe’ © Shawn Miller

Holst’s frog (endangered) Stella 2000 bare with backlighting from headlights © Shawn Miller

Namie’s frog threatened species – Stella 2000 diffused through an umbrella © Shawn Miller

Ryukyu Tip nosed frog ( Endangered ) Stella 2000 diffused through an umbrella © Shawn Miller

Ishikawa’s frog (endangered) Stella 2000 diffused with fill flash © Shawn Miller

Princess habu - Diffused through an umbrella

Princess habu – Stella 2000 diffused through an umbrella © Shawn Miller

Namie’s frog – Stella 2000 modeling light – back-lighting with the Gobe 700 wide © Shawn Miller

Kuroiwa’s ground gecko (Endangered) Stella 2000 with fill flash © Shawn Miller

IHallowell's tree frog -Stella 2000 with fill flash

Hallowell’s tree frog -Stella 2000 with fill flash © Shawn Miller

Pryer’s keelback feeding on a white jawed frog – Stella 2000 diffused with fill flash © Shawn Miller

No need to worry about dropping the light in the salt water or placing it on the sand. The Stella 2000 is extremely durable.

Ghost crab – Fill flash and back-lighting Stella 2000 © Shawn Miller

Crabs with trash homes -Stella 2000 and fill flash © Shawn Miller

Making the journey (Geograpsus grayi) Stella 2000 with fill flash © Shawn Miller

Hermit crab and plastic- Stella 2000 with fill flash © Shawn Miller

Ghost crab feeding- Stella 2000 with fill flash © Shawn Miller

Crabs with trash homes -Stella 2000 and fill flash © Shawn Miller

Geograpsus grayi feeding on the Ryukyu kajika frog – Stella 2000 and fill flash © Shawn Miller

Solid as a rock- Stella 2000

Friends and supporters – Save 20% off your first Light & Motion purchase https://prz.io/648x6bGC1

I have been using Light & Motion lights for over four years now and they keep getting better! Stayed tuned for testing the Stella 2000 underwater !

Ryukyu tip-nosed frog (Odorrana narina) – Frogs of Okinawa

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Admin11

The Ryukyu tip-nosed frog ( Odorrana narina) is found in Northern Okinawa. This endemic frog is currently listed endangered on the IUCN red list. It’s biggest threat is habitat loss.

Scientific name: Odorrana narina
Common name: Ryukyu tip-nosed frog
Distribution: Yanbaru forest, Northern Okinawa
Habitat: Forest streams and mountain slopes
Diet: Insects, centipedes and small invertebrates
Average size: 50mm – 75mm

Ryukyu tip-nosed frog – Stella 2000

The Ryukyu tip-nosed frog is a medium sized frog. It hides in holes and crevices in the daytime.

Ryukyu tip-nosed frog – Tokina 10-17mm

Ryukyu tip-nosed frog

Odorrana narina – frogs of Okinawa

It feeds during the night on small insects and centipedes.

Ryukyu tip-nosed frog -wide angle macro, Stella 2000

It is sometimes found on roads searching for food after heavy rains.

Ryukyu Tip-nosed frog -Red list

Be careful and pay close attention to crossing wildlife.

Crossing wildlife- wide angle macro

Road kill- Ryukyu Tip-nosed frog

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.

Namie’s frog (limnonectes namiyei) – Amphibians of Okinawa

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Admin11

The Namie’s frog ( Limnonectes namiyei ) is an endangered species found only in northern Okinawa. It is currently listed threatened on the IUCN red list of endangered species. This amphibian is decreasing in numbers due to deforestation and the use of pesticides.

Scientific name: Limnonectes namiyei
Distribution: Northern Okinawa-Japan
Habitat: Forest streams
Diet: Insects
Average Size: 70mm -115mm

Namie’s frog -Yanbaru forest

Namie’s frog- Photographed using the Stella 2000

Namies frog- Stella 2000

Massive legs allow them and capture prey with lightning speed.

Namie’s frog ( limnonectes namiyei )

Webbed feet allow them to quickly escape predators in the water.

Namie’s frog – Top view

Wide angle perspective – showing the environment it lives in.

Namie’s frog – Wide angle macro

Be careful and pay close attention to crossing wildlife.

Road dweller- Namie’s frog with leeches

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.

Crabs With Beach Trash Homes – Okinawa, Japan

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Admin11

Crabs with beach trash homes is a series I am currently working on. I photograph Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus) that have begun to use beach trash as their home. The crabs are photographed in their natural environment and also on white for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project. The images are used for environmental awareness and educational purposes.

Crabs with beach trash homes © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crabs are commonly found on local beaches in Okinawa. Most crabs are blue but occasionally have color variations of purple, pink, orange and or gray. They prefer to have a seashell as a protective home but when no shell is available they adapt.

Blueberry hermit crabs (Coenobita purpureus)

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) with a seashell © Shawn Miller

Before plastic caps filled our shorelines, hermit crabs adapted using tree nuts if no shells were available.

Hermit crab and tree nut © Shawn Miller

It’s becoming more common to find crabs with beach trash homes. I have friends combing local beaches in search of more crabs for my series. While these are cute images, our trash is becoming a serious problem to the ocean and the animals that call the shoreline home. I often find hermit crabs using a variety of plastic caps from twist top pet bottles, laundry detergent containers, small propane tanks, sports water bottles and beauty supplies.

Possible reason why Blueberry crabs adapt with beach trash

Limited number of available shells causing them to make due with the best homes they can find. This is a good example of adaptive behavior.

Hermit crabs are very social animals and often fight over shells. Having a protective lightweight shell that covers the abdomen (soft parts of the animal) is crucial for survival.

Hermit crabs fighting over prime real estate © Shawn Miller

Battle over real estate © Shawn Miller

A close-up of the sensitive abdomen (photographed using the MYN technique)

Naked hermit crab © Shawn Miller

Hermit crabs are scavengers and take advantage of any food washed ashore. They mainly feed on dead fish, barnacles, other crabs, algae, insects, plants, fruit and various seeds. The screw pine (Pandanus odifer) is one of their favorite foods. I imagine long ago these vital plants lined our shorelines in abundance. Numbers are decreasing due to deforestation.

Pandanus odifer © Shawn Miller

Eventually the fruit drops to the ground and the sweet smell attracts the hermit crabs

Hermit crab feeding © Shawn Miller

The hermit crabs feed on the the fresh keys and help with seed dispersal. They both benefit in this relationship. The Pandanus tree provides shelter, shade, food for the hermit crabs.

Hermit crab and Pandanus © Shawn Miller

Eventually the keys dry, turn brown and litter the local beaches. The dispersed keys provide a perfect environment for hermit crabs to blend in with.

Where the treeline meet the beach © Shawn Miller

Hermit crabs prefer to be in a shell that protects the entire body from predators. Sometimes they have to temporarily adapt with a much smaller shell. The retracted hermit crab tightens up to protect itself. Ball up, play dead and blend into the environment, minimizing the risk of being preyed upon.

Could this be a form of masquerading or just coincidence ? It resembles (mimics) the shape of the screw pine seed to possibly avoid detection from potential predators.

Hermit crab and screw pine seed © Shawn Miller

Hermit crabs have the ability to ball up tight to protect their eyes. (Transformers)

Hermit crab retracted © Shawn Miller

Below are some of my favorite images photographed on a portable field studio board (MYN Technique). The crabs are safely placed on a white studio board, photographed and released back into the natural environment (MYN Technique).

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) with cap © Shawn Miller

Blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) in plastic tube © Shawn Miller

It’s important to photograph the hermit crabs in their natural habitat. I prefer to photograph them using a wide angle lens to achieve a unique perspective.

Meet shady – Worldwide trash problem

Hermit crab in a glass bottle- Yomitan, Okinawa.

Meet sparky- using a plastic cap from a cassette gas tank

I also photograph the hermit crabs using a dedicated macro lens. I mainly use the Canon 60 mm or 100 mm macro lens to concentrate on the subject. These crabs are fairly small and it’s important to have a lens that will focus close and deliver high quality sharpness.

Laundry detergent cap - Northern Okinawa

School project ” Crabs with beach trash homes ” My family and I collected trash on a local beach in Onna village. This is just a small portion of our beach trash findings. The kids did a great job creating a project with impact.

Otis Brunner found this hermit crab flattened on a beachside parking lot. As you can see the plastic doesn’t provide much protection.

Behind the scenes photograph ” Crabs with beach trash homes ” I have documented over sixty crabs with beach trash homes. If you would like to see more images check out my Flickr account.

Shawn Miller – Crabs with beach trash homes. Photographed by David Orr

June 10th, 2010 was my first experience seeing a hermit crab with a trash home.

My series ” Crabs with beach trash homes ” has been featured on World Wildlife Fund, Petapixel, Business Insider, National Geographic, Atlas Obscura, Global citizen, Plethorist, Daily Telegraph, Little things, 15minutenews, Roaring earth, Hyperdojo, News.com.au, Follow news, Neotorama, BoingBoing, Insider, Activist, Now100fm and varies Scientific websites.

Planet or Plastic June 2018 featured

Learn more about making a difference, TEDx talk | Adapting to or Changing Environment by Shawn M Miller

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 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.

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Tag Archives: Light & Motion stella 2000

Ryukyu Brown Frog – Amphibians of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Worms with tongues ! Blind snakes of Okinawa

The Hallowell’s tree frog – Okinawa

The Light & Motion Stella 2000 rocks part 1 – Okinawa, Japan

Ryukyu tip-nosed frog (Odorrana narina) – Frogs of Okinawa

Namie’s frog (limnonectes namiyei) – Amphibians of Okinawa

Crabs With Beach Trash Homes – Okinawa, Japan