Japan & Korea

Temperate East Asia, from snow monkeys to red-crowned cranes.

ClimateFour seasons, from the snowy north to the mild south.

LandscapeMountainous islands of forest, hot springs and coast.

Species recorded161

Written profiles0

Groups present9

Coordinates36.0°, 138.0°

About Japan & Korea

Japan and the Korean peninsula sit in the temperate zone with a strongly seasonal climate, and their forests run from subtropical in the south to boreal in the north across a relatively short span of latitude. Japan's island geography has produced a set of endemic species and subspecies, and its mountainous, heavily forested interior has retained more wildlife than the country's population density would suggest — bears, serow, macaques and deer are all widespread, and rural depopulation has allowed them to expand back towards areas people have left. The Japanese macaque is the northernmost non-human primate in the world. The Korean Demilitarized Zone has become an accidental reserve, a narrow strip left largely undisturbed for seventy years and now important for cranes and other wildlife.

Most-recorded wild species here

Photographed and identified by iNaturalist contributors in this region, ordered by number of records.

Phelotrupes auratus auratus

Insects

Japanese Tiger Beetle

Sophiodela japonica

Insects

Paratrichius doenitzi

Insects

Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel

Petaurista leucogenys

Mammals

Hondo Raccoon Dog

Nyctereutes viverrinus viverrinus

Mammals

Western Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

Insects

Japanese Earth-boring Dung Beetle

Phelotrupes auratus

Insects

Paraparatrechina sakurae

Insects

Japanese Serow

Capricornis crispus

Mammals

Wax-crested Purple Scale Aphid

Aleurodaphis blumeae

Insects

Rice field frog

Fejervarya kawamurai

Amphibians

Fidia atra

Insects

Atlanta peronii

Mollusks

Giant Water Strider

Aquarius elongatus

Insects

Japanese Common Bluebottle

Graphium sarpedon nipponum

Insects

Orbitestella bermudezi

Mollusks

Heliconoides inflatus

Mollusks

Stilifer akahitode

Mollusks

Full species checklist

A further 143 species recorded in Japan & Korea.

Common name	Scientific name	Group	Records
Dusky Thrush	Turdus eunomus	Birds	181
White-spotted Tussock Moth	Orgyia thyellina	Insects	181
Prosopocoilus inclinatus inclinatus	Prosopocoilus inclinatus inclinatus	Insects	180
Monticola solitarius philippensis	Monticola solitarius philippensis	Birds	179
Honshū Sika Deer	Cervus nippon centralis	Mammals	178
Red-clawed crab	Chiromantes haematocheir	Other animals	177
Siler cupreus	Siler cupreus	Arachnids	176
Diacria trispinosa	Diacria trispinosa	Mollusks	175
Gibbose Cavoline	Cavolinia gibbosa	Mollusks	174
Alpine Black Swallowtail	Papilio maackii	Insects	173
Anaplectoides virens	Anaplectoides virens	Insects	172
Bull-headed Shrike	Lanius bucephalus	Birds	170
Asian Lady Beetle	Harmonia axyridis	Insects	169
Cryptocephalus perelegans	Cryptocephalus perelegans	Insects	169
Mimachlamys crassicostata	Mimachlamys crassicostata	Mollusks	168
Choreutis japonica	Choreutis japonica	Insects	167
Narrow-winged Mantis	Tenodera angustipennis	Insects	166
Sympetrum eroticum eroticum	Sympetrum eroticum eroticum	Insects	165
Diacria major	Diacria major	Mollusks	164
White-cheeked Starling	Spodiopsar cineraceus	Birds	163
Chrysobothris succedanea	Chrysobothris succedanea	Insects	162
Aulacophora nigripennis nigripennis	Aulacophora nigripennis nigripennis	Insects	161
House Swift	Apus nipalensis	Birds	160
Japanese Hare	Lepus brachyurus	Mammals	159
Brown-eared Bulbul	Hypsipetes amaurotis	Birds	158
Mukade	Scolopendra japonica	Other animals	157
Diacavolinia longirostris	Diacavolinia longirostris	Mollusks	156
Lixus moiwanus	Lixus moiwanus	Insects	155
globe sea butterfly	Cavolinia globulosa	Mollusks	154
Inflexed Cavoline	Cavolinia inflexa	Mollusks	152
Apoderus praecellens	Apoderus praecellens	Insects	151
Eurasian Coot	Fulica atra	Birds	150
The Lackey	Malacosoma neustria	Insects	150
Poecilonota variolosa chinensis	Poecilonota variolosa chinensis	Insects	147
Variable Duskyface Fly	Melanostoma mellinum	Insects	146
Formosan Rock Macaque	Macaca cyclopis	Mammals	145
Oriental Longheaded Locust	Acrida cinerea	Insects	144
Red Swamp Crayfish	Procambarus clarkii	Other animals	143
Sandalia triticea	Sandalia triticea	Mollusks	142
Japanese Grass Lizard	Takydromus tachydromoides	Reptiles	141
Baer's Pochard	Aythya baeri	Birds	140
Cuvierina columnella	Cuvierina columnella	Mollusks	139
Mimela holosericea	Mimela holosericea	Insects	138
Zigzag cowry	Palmadusta ziczac	Mollusks	134
Mnais pruinosa	Mnais pruinosa	Insects	131
Schiffermuelleria zelleri	Schiffermuelleria zelleri	Insects	130
Dusky Lilysquatter	Paracercion calamorum	Insects	128
Hondo Macaque	Macaca fuscata fuscata	Mammals	127
Biston panterinaria	Biston panterinaria	Insects	126
Japanese Water Scorpion	Laccotrephes japonensis	Insects	125
Odiellus aspersus	Odiellus aspersus	Arachnids	124
Melligomphus viridicostus	Melligomphus viridicostus	Insects	123
Antheraea yamamai yamamai	Antheraea yamamai yamamai	Insects	122
Oriental Greenfinch	Chloris sinica	Birds	121
Uncinate Cavoline	Cavolinia uncinata	Mollusks	119
Fourspine Sculpin	Rheopresbe kazika	Fish	117
Apochrysa matsumurae	Apochrysa matsumurae	Insects	115
Northern Lapwing	Vanellus vanellus	Birds	111
Phrixolepia sericea	Phrixolepia sericea	Insects	110
Lycocerus suturellus	Lycocerus suturellus	Insects	108
Carabus insulicola insulicola	Carabus insulicola insulicola	Insects	107
Tufted Duck	Aythya fuligula	Birds	106
Far Eastern Reed Bunting	Emberiza schoeniclus pyrrhulina	Birds	106
Cylindera kaleea yedoensis	Cylindera kaleea yedoensis	Insects	104
Hesperus tiro	Hesperus tiro	Insects	103
Bembidion morawitzi	Bembidion morawitzi	Insects	102
Ornebius kanetataki	Ornebius kanetataki	Insects	101
Varied Tit	Sittiparus varius	Birds	100
Oriental Common Kingfisher	Alcedo atthis bengalensis	Birds	98
Dorcus rectus rectus	Dorcus rectus rectus	Insects	97
Pronodularia japanensis	Pronodularia japanensis	Mollusks	95
Papilio dehaanii dehaanii	Papilio dehaanii dehaanii	Insects	94
Coppery Metallic-Furrow bee	Halictus aerarius	Insects	92
Metrocoris histrio	Metrocoris histrio	Insects	91
Auritibicen japonicus	Auritibicen japonicus	Insects	90
Lestes temporalis	Lestes temporalis	Insects	89
Red-flanked Bluetail	Tarsiger cyanurus	Birds	87
Japanese Ratsnake	Elaphe climacophora	Reptiles	87
Japanese Jay	Garrulus glandarius japonicus	Birds	86
Achlya longipennis	Achlya longipennis	Insects	85
Short-tailed Blue	Cupido argiades	Insects	84
Giant Asian Mantis	Hierodula patellifera	Insects	84
Warbling White-eye	Zosterops japonicus	Birds	81
Carrhotus xanthogramma	Carrhotus xanthogramma	Arachnids	80
Eastern Japanese Tree Frog	Dryophytes leopardus	Amphibians	79
Large Brown Cicada	Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata	Insects	78
Formica truncorum	Formica truncorum	Insects	77
Aesalus asiaticus asiaticus	Aesalus asiaticus asiaticus	Insects	76
Sika Deer	Cervus nippon	Mammals	75
Oxytate striatipes	Oxytate striatipes	Arachnids	72
Sarbanissa subflava	Sarbanissa subflava	Insects	70
Menida musiva	Menida musiva	Insects	69
Eurasian coot	Fulica atra atra	Birds	68
Notonecta triguttata	Notonecta triguttata	Insects	67
Dotted Sable	Bocchoris inspersalis	Insects	66
Japanese pond turtle	Mauremys japonica	Reptiles	65
Japanese Night Heron	Gorsachius goisagi	Birds	63
Japanese Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo hanedae	Birds	62
Sinopoda forcipata	Sinopoda forcipata	Arachnids	60
Brown-striped Semilooper	Mocis undata	Insects	59
Ditrema temminckii pacificum	Ditrema temminckii pacificum	Fish	57
Euricania facialis	Euricania facialis	Insects	56
Euhadra peliomphala	Euhadra peliomphala	Mollusks	55
Common Flangetail	Ictinogomphus pertinax	Insects	54
Japanese Squirrel	Sciurus lis	Mammals	53
Lema concinnipennis	Lema concinnipennis	Insects	52
Amur Carp	Cyprinus rubrofuscus	Fish	51
White-banded Hunter Hawkmoth	Theretra oldenlandiae	Insects	51
Coccinula crotchi	Coccinula crotchi	Insects	50
Japanese Ptarmigan	Lagopus muta japonica	Birds	49
Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	Birds	48
Mimachrostia fasciata	Mimachrostia fasciata	Insects	48
Green Pheasant	Phasianus versicolor	Birds	46
Black Arches	Lymantria monacha	Insects	45
Fire-tailed Bumble Bee	Bombus ardens	Insects	44
Chinese Reddish Mantis	Hierodula chinensis	Insects	39
Eurasian Tree Sparrow	Passer montanus	Birds	38
Trypoxylus dichotomus septentrionalis	Trypoxylus dichotomus septentrionalis	Insects	38
Orthetrum albistylum speciosum	Orthetrum albistylum speciosum	Insects	37
Phyllopertha diversa	Phyllopertha diversa	Insects	36
Diopatra sugokai	Diopatra sugokai	Other animals	35
Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis	Birds	34
Japanese Magpie	Cyanopica cyanus japonica	Birds	33
Actias aliena aliena	Actias aliena aliena	Insects	32
Craspedometopon basale	Craspedometopon basale	Insects	31
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Birds	29
Japanese common grass yellow	Eurema mandarina	Insects	29
Anomala albopilosa albopilosa	Anomala albopilosa albopilosa	Insects	28
Norwegian Cuckoo Bumble bee	Bombus norvegicus	Insects	27
Ranatra unicolor	Ranatra unicolor	Insects	25
Japanese Knotweed Leaf Beetle	Gallerucida bifasciata	Insects	23
Falcated Duck	Mareca falcata	Birds	22
Rinaca japonica	Rinaca japonica	Insects	22
Jumbo Dragonfly	Anotogaster sieboldii	Insects	21
Nebria lewisi	Nebria lewisi	Insects	20
Panorpodes paradoxa	Panorpodes paradoxa	Insects	19
Long-streak Sailor	Neptis philyra	Insects	15
Ischnura asiatica	Ischnura asiatica	Insects	12
Japanese Ant-mimic Spider	Myrmarachne japonica	Arachnids	10
Niphona furcata	Niphona furcata	Insects	9
Serrognathus titanus pilifer	Serrognathus titanus pilifer	Insects	8
Whitespotted Char	Salvelinus leucomaenis	Fish	5
Oriental Lesser Emperor	Anax julius	Insects	4

Japan & Korea

About Japan & Korea

Most-recorded wild species here

Full species checklist

Groups found here

Mammals

Birds

Fish

Reptiles

Amphibians

Insects

Arachnids

Mollusks

Other animals