Dangerous but Cool and Cute – The Diverse Wildlife of Okinawa

From the fiery vipers to the gentle dugong, the life of Okinawa Island is something to see; but not to play with. It is the top resort destination of Japan that is highly popular for its subtropical beauty and draws the attention of thousands of all those travelers who capture cheap airline tickets to Tokyo. Much like its culture and food, the wildlife is also very much unique and different as compared to other different locations of the earth. Some of the must-see and amazing creatures are described as below- the downright dangerous, interesting and cute.

Dugong

If you catch sight of dugong, than consider yourself extraordinary fortunate as these are the real endangered species. It can weigh up to 1,000 pounds and is very popular for being the distant relative of the manatee. The number has dramatically reduced due to habitat destruction, boating incidents and hunting which is banned now.

Ryukyu Flying Fox

The Yaeyama Ookomori or the Ryukyu flying are the “ravens” of this land that will give you a shock at first glimpse-majority of the people get afraid to see the 1^st site because they are enormous in number, very large in size and just have dog-like faces but don’t let their appearance or sizes fool you as they prey on fruit and are not harmful for anyone of you.

Okinawa Coconut Crab

Okinawa coconut crab or Yashi-gani is another amazing creature of this island- The Godzilla-sized version of the normal crab. The weight can reach up to 8.8 pounds and that’s why these creatures are declared to be the largest land-living arthropod of this planet. The fruits of Palm trees are their food. The Coconut crab is known to be the delicacy of the region but over-catching is considered to be a threat to the species. Don’t go very near to them as they get testy and can easily take off your finger with large claws.

Atlas moth

The Atlas moth or the Yonaguni-san is the undisputed Mothra of the island that also tempts a large variety of people. These insects are large and can have wingspans of approximately 25 centimeters, almost equivalent to a foot. They are abundant in Yonaguni region but can also be spotted on other islands like Iriomote but the most darling place to see them is Yonaguni that also houses an entire Atlas Moth Museum.

Mudskipper

The Mudskipper or Tobi-haze- frog or a fish? Very hard to tell as they possess the characteristics of both. They belong to gobi family, these small beady-eyed amphibians are found on shore and use the arm-like front fins to swim into the water (the size is almost 10 cm). you can find them in all the corners of the island specially the mangrove marshes.

Pit viper

The dangerous creature- Pit viper or the habu is another interesting and amazing creature that will allure you. they can have the maximum size of almost 5 feet and are aggressive and irritable. Get your economy flights to Japan booked now.