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Animals in Japan

49 animal species on file have openly licensed sighting records from Japan, 19 of them threatened. Records include captive animals and introduced populations.

Tick-off checklist What did I see in Japan?

Species recorded: 49
Threatened: 19
Groups represented: 9
Sighting records: 169,384

None on record
1–7
8–12
13–17
18+

species per country · small islands are not drawn at this scale

Which well-known animals are recorded in Japan?

The most looked-up species with records here.

What kinds of animals are recorded in Japan?

Mammals
red fox, grey wolf, lion, koala …
15 species
Birds
mallard, european robin, bald eagle, peregrine falcon …
9 species
Reptiles
green turtle, nile crocodile, american alligator, king cobra …
5 species
Amphibians
fire salamander, common frog, axolotl
3 species
Fish
atlantic salmon, great white shark, ocean sunfish, whale shark …
6 species
Insects
honey bee, monarch butterfly, seven-spot ladybird, stag beetle
4 species
Crustaceans
american lobster, coconut crab
2 species
Molluscs
helix pomatia, north pacific giant octopus, giant squid
3 species
Other invertebrates
common jellyfish, common starfish
2 species

Which threatened animals are recorded in Japan?

Species listed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The category is global, not specific to Japan.

Common name	Scientific name	Family	Status	Records here
Lion	Panthera leo	Felidae	Vulnerable	3
Koala	Phascolarctos cinereus	Phascolarctidae	Vulnerable	50
Tiger	Panthera tigris	Felidae	Endangered	172
Leopard	Panthera pardus	Felidae	Vulnerable	4
Polar bear	Ursus maritimus	Ursidae	Vulnerable	3
Snowy owl	Bubo scandiacus	Strigidae	Vulnerable	6
Blue whale	Balaenoptera musculus	Balaenopteridae	Endangered	11
Northern giraffe	Giraffa camelopardalis	Giraffidae	Vulnerable	19
Fire salamander	Salamandra salamandra	Salamandridae	Vulnerable	2
Great white shark	Carcharodon carcharias	Lamnidae	Vulnerable	39
Ocean sunfish	Mola mola	Molidae	Vulnerable	83
Whale shark	Rhincodon typus	Rhincodontidae	Endangered	33
Chimpanzee	Pan troglodytes	Hominidae	Endangered	9
Giant panda	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Ursidae	Vulnerable	2
Wandering albatross	Diomedea exulans	Diomedeidae	Vulnerable	1
King cobra	Ophiophagus hannah	Elapidae	Vulnerable	1
Axolotl	Ambystoma mexicanum	Ambystomatidae	Critically Endangered	2
Coconut crab	Birgus latro	Coenobitidae	Vulnerable	357
Giant oceanic manta ray	Mobula birostris	Myliobatidae	Endangered	14

All animals recorded in Japan

Open this list in the browser to filter and sort it

Common name	Scientific name	Family	Status	Records here
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Anatidae	Least Concern	117,442
European robin	Erithacus rubecula	Muscicapidae	Least Concern	14
Red fox	Vulpes vulpes	Canidae	Least Concern	4,553
Grey wolf	Canis lupus	Canidae	Least Concern	576
Bald eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Accipitridae	Least Concern	2
Peregrine falcon	Falco peregrinus	Falconidae	Least Concern	345
Lion	Panthera leo	Felidae	Vulnerable	3
Common kingfisher	Alcedo atthis	Alcedinidae	Least Concern	41,863
Common ostrich	Struthio camelus	Struthionidae	Least Concern	7
Koala	Phascolarctos cinereus	Phascolarctidae	Vulnerable	50
Jaguar	Panthera onca	Felidae	Near Threatened	1
Tiger	Panthera tigris	Felidae	Endangered	172
Leopard	Panthera pardus	Felidae	Vulnerable	4
Atlantic salmon	Salmo salar	Salmonidae	Near Threatened	2
Honey bee	Apis mellifera	Apidae	Data Deficient	775
Polar bear	Ursus maritimus	Ursidae	Vulnerable	3
Snowy owl	Bubo scandiacus	Strigidae	Vulnerable	6
Platypus	Ornithorhynchus anatinus	Ornithorhynchidae	Near Threatened	2
Blue whale	Balaenoptera musculus	Balaenopteridae	Endangered	11
Northern giraffe	Giraffa camelopardalis	Giraffidae	Vulnerable	19
Fire salamander	Salamandra salamandra	Salamandridae	Vulnerable	2
Great white shark	Carcharodon carcharias	Lamnidae	Vulnerable	39
Green turtle	Chelonia mydas	Cheloniidae	Least Concern	592
Monarch butterfly	Danaus plexippus	Nymphalidae	Least Concern	3
Seven-spot ladybird	Coccinella septempunctata	Coccinellidae	Not recorded	1,637
Common frog	Rana temporaria	Ranidae	Least Concern	63
Common bottlenose dolphin	Tursiops truncatus	Delphinidae	Least Concern	302
Ocean sunfish	Mola mola	Molidae	Vulnerable	83
Whale shark	Rhincodon typus	Rhincodontidae	Endangered	33
Chimpanzee	Pan troglodytes	Hominidae	Endangered	9
Scarlet macaw	Ara macao	Psittacidae	Least Concern	8
Giant panda	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Ursidae	Vulnerable	2
Helix pomatia	Helix pomatia	Helicidae	Least Concern	1
Stag beetle	Lucanus cervus	Lucanidae	Not recorded	10
Wandering albatross	Diomedea exulans	Diomedeidae	Vulnerable	1
American lobster	Homarus americanus	Nephropidae	Least Concern	4
Nile crocodile	Crocodylus niloticus	Crocodylidae	Least Concern	3
American alligator	Alligator mississippiensis	Alligatoridae	Least Concern	15
Common jellyfish	Aurelia aurita	Ulmaridae	Not recorded	23
Red kangaroo	Macropus rufus	Macropodidae	Not recorded	3
King cobra	Ophiophagus hannah	Elapidae	Vulnerable	1
Axolotl	Ambystoma mexicanum	Ambystomatidae	Critically Endangered	2
Coconut crab	Birgus latro	Coenobitidae	Vulnerable	357
Common starfish	Asterias rubens	Asteriidae	Not recorded	1
Giant oceanic manta ray	Mobula birostris	Myliobatidae	Endangered	14
Common clownfish	Amphiprion ocellaris	Pomacentridae	Least Concern	215
North Pacific giant octopus	Enteroctopus dofleini	Enteroctopodidae	Least Concern	48
Veiled chameleon	Chamaeleo calyptratus	Chamaeleonidae	Least Concern	11
Giant squid	Architeuthis dux	Architeuthidae	Least Concern	52

Method: a species is listed if GBIF holds at least one CC0 or CC BY occurrence record for it in Japan. Zoo animals, escapes and introduced populations are included, and native species nobody has recorded are missing. See the methodology.