The nature of Okinawa
Climate
Speaking of the flora and fauna of Okinawa, it is appropriate to say a few words about the Okinawan climate. The Okinawian archipelago is located in the Pacific Ocean, in a subtropical, temperate-humid climate. In summer, the daytime temperature is +41... 34ºС in summer and 23ºС in winter. The average relative humidity is 75% throughout the year.
Such climatic conditions contribute to the rapid growth of vegetation, in particular palm trees. Small "jungles" in the middle of the city are a normal phenomenon for Okinawa.
Okinawian fauna
The most forested part of Okinawa is the north. Even the mountains are covered with green tropical forests. This has created favorable conditions for rare species of local wildlife. Of these, 188 species are listed in the Red Data Book, and I will now tell you about some of their representatives.
Okinawian shepherd
The first species I will talk about is a bird, the Okinawian shepherd.
The Okinawan shepherd is a poor flyer or (more often than the previous one) does not fly at all. It is distributed in the north of the Okinawian archipelago, is a relict species and is endangered.
This bird can run fast and climbs (not flies) into trees at night. Usually, the shepherd wanders in the forest floor, but sometimes it visits water bodies to dip into the water for a few minutes and refresh itself. The shepherd's crane feeds on snails, lizards, and large insects, including locusts.
The birds of this species are monogamous, meaning they stay together for life. They build their nests on the ground because, as I said, they hardly ever fly.
Okinawian shepherd: photos
HABU
The next species is the Okinawian habu venomous snake. The habu is a venomous snake that is found only on the Okinawa archipelago and several neighboring islands. If a person is not treated with a serum in time after being bitten by a habu, he or she will die in 30 minutes at best.
THE HABU SNAKE
HABUSHU
Habushu
A popular Okinawian spirit made from habu
Okinawa has a special service of professionals who catch habu. If a person sees a haba, they should immediately call the service's hotline. The service pays up to $100 for reporting such a "find."
Some amateur habu catchers privately catch snakes and make habu tincture for sale: they dip a dead habu with an open mouth into a container of vodka (they kill the habu by freezing it alive) so that a small amount of venom leaks out, strengthening the drink.
Japanese climbing hare
The Japanese climbing hare is another unusual species of Okinawan fauna. The hare lives on Amami-Oshima Island and in small numbers in the forested north of Okinawa. The Japanese climbing hare is a rare species, so it is under general protection.
For a long time, nothing was known about the climbing hare. However, in 1980-1990, attention was drawn to it and, concerned about the decline in its population, the first thing that was done was to stop the ruthless deforestation. Then long-term research began, and some hares were relocated to Yanbaru Park (northern Okinawa).
The Japanese climbing hare is nocturnal, which made studying its behavior much more difficult. This was compounded by the fact that the species has become rare, and the hares themselves are cautious and shy.
Okinawian climbing hare
THE RABBIT
At present, the Japanese climbing hare can be seen not only on Amami-Oshima Island, but also in Yanbaru National Park.
However, we do know something. Like all other hares, their Okinawan counterpart lives in burrows. It has a dark brown color and sharp claws on strong paws.
In the fall, a female hare digs a separate hole adapted for giving birth to a cub, gives birth to a cub and closes the entrance to the hole, covering it with earth. Then, once every two days, she comes at night and opens the closed hole. The cub runs out of the burrow as if it was waiting for its mother and starts drinking its mother's milk. This happens within 2 minutes. After that, the female carefully seals the entrance to the "baby" burrow for about 20 minutes and returns to her burrow. She repeats such actions for 40 days and then returns to her burrow with the grown-up hare.