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.

 

Hummingbirds on Okinawa By Shawn Miller

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

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

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

Hummingbird hawk-moth

Hummingbird hawk-moth

Hummingbird hawk-moth

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

 Convolvulus hawk moth

Convolvulus hawk moth

Convolvulus hawk moth

Convolvulus hawk moth

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

Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae)

Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae)

Photographed on white for the Meet Your Neighbours project

Hawk moth - MYN

Hawkmoth – MYN

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

Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae) larvae

Impatiens Hawk Moth (Theretra oldenlandiae) larvae

Green Pergesa Hawk moth larvae ( Pergesa acteaus)

Green Pergesa Hawk moth larvae ( Pergesa acteaus)

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