Frogs of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

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 

Ryukyu Brown frog (Rana ulma)

Babina holsti – Holsts frog 

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Odorrana ishikawae – Ishikawa’s frog  

Blue Ishikawa's Frog (Odorrana ishikawae) © Shawn Miller

  Limnonectes namiyei –  Namie’s frog

Namies frog- Stella 2000

 Hyla halowelii – Hallowell’s tree frog 

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Odorrana narina – Ryukyu Tip-nosed Frog 

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 Rhacophorus viridis viridis – Okinawa green tree frog

Natural habitat

Rana limnocharis limnocharis – Asian grass frog 

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Polypedates leucomystax leucomystax – White jawed frog

IMG_7036 Microhyla okinavensis – The Ornate narrow-mouth frog 

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  Buegeria japonica – Ryukyu Kajika frog

Ryukyu Kajika frog - Amami Island

 Rana catesbeiana – American bullfrog 

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 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 

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 lonely hermit crab adapting with a lug-nut cover by Shawn Miller

This week I went out camping with some friends on Miyagi Island. While searching for fire wood I stumbled upon a blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus) adapting with a metal lug-nut cover. I have previously found many hermit crabs adapting with other man-made items such as pet bottle caps, glass bottles, light bulb ends, laundry detergent caps and various scoops. I was pretty excited about this and had to show off the interesting find to my friends.

IMG_2671The blueberry hermit crab is temporarily making due with the available lug-nut cover. It will eventually switch to a shell when it finds an appropriate size. If you would like to learn more about this adaptive behavior please check out my post on “Crabs with Beach trash homes

* All Coenobita species on Okinawa are recognized as a living natural monument of Japan.

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I also photographed the hermit crab on white for the Meet Your Neighbours Project. The technique eliminates distracting elements out of the background and shows the true beauty of the animal. The images are used for conservation awareness and educational purposes.

IMG_6318Later I offered lug nut a Turbo seashell and within five minutes he switched over to his new home.

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Okinawa hermit crab

We were fortunate to have beautiful weather. Don’t forget to get out for some Nature Therapy! We all need a break from our busy lifestyles.

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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 below.

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.

 

Searching for the Amami Rabbit by Shawn Miller

The Amami Rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) is an endangered species found on Amami and Tokuno Island. This rare species is a living national treasure of Japan and is currently listed as endangered on the IUCN red list of threatened species.  It’s biggest threats are deforestation, feral cats, dogs and the introduced mongoose.

  • Scientific Name: Pentalagus furnessi
  • Common Name: Amami or Ryukyu Rabbit
  • Japanese name: Amamino kuro usagi
  • Distribution: Amami and Tokuno Island
  • Habitat: Dense mountain forest
  • Diet: Plants, shrubs, bark, and acorns
  • Average size: 45cm
  • Threats: Deforestation and the mongoose

Amami Rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) © Shawn Miller

We initially had some trouble finding the Amami Rabbit. We knew we were close once we started finding fresh rabbit droppings and a black insect that resembled a dung beetle.

Fresh Ryukyu rabbit pellets

Fresh Ryukyu rabbit pellets © Shawn Miller

Dung beetle

Possible Dung beetle © Shawn Miller

We were fortunate to see over thirty rabbits during our night drive.  We even found a photogenic juvenile feeding on leaves. The cute baby rabbits are referred to as kittens or kits.

Amami Rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi)

Amami Rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) © Shawn Miller

It is illegal to capture or trap this small-eared Island rabbit. Both Islands are doing a great job protecting this threatened species and the forest it lives in.

Amami Rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) © Shawn Miller

The mongoose is the biggest threat to the wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands. It was introduced to the Ryukyu Islands in the1900’s In order to reduce the venomous habu populations. All the islands are still battling this never ending problem.

Mongoose ( Hepestes javanicus )

Mongoose ( Hepestes javanicus )

All the photographs of the Amami rabbit were taken from the car through the back seat window.  In the beginning, I had difficulty with the cameras autofocus system.  The rabbits were far away and left the scene after three- ten seconds. I adapted by mounting a Light&Motion GoBe light with a 500 search head to my tripod collar. This allowed the autofocus system to be extremely responsive using the Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM.

Amami rabbit camera setup

Amami night adventures  setup  © 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.

Light&Motion GoBe    https://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/gobe

 Let’s work together to protect the beauty of the Ryukyu Islands. Have a great day!