List of mammals of Japan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of mammal species recorded in Japan (excluding domesticated and captive populations). Of the 172[1] species of mammal found—112 native terrestrial mammals (those that are endemic are identified below; this number includes 37 species of bat), 19 introduced species, 40 species of Cetacea, and the dugong—161 are listed for the Japan region on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: of these, three taxa are critically endangered (Muennink's spiny rat, Yanbaru whiskered bat, and Gloomy tube-nosed bat), twenty-two are endangered, eight are vulnerable, and eleven are near threatened; the Japanese sea lion and Bonin or Sturdee's pipistrelle are evaluated as extinct.[2] Although on a global level the grey wolf is assessed as least concern, the two Japanese subspecies, Hokkaido wolf and Japanese wolf, are further recent extinctions; the 2020 Japanese Ministry of the Environment Red List also lists as extinct the Okinawa flying fox and Japanese river otter, as well as the subspecies Miyako little horseshoe bat [ja].[3][4]
As of January 2023, for their protection, fifteen species and subspecies have been designated National Endangered Species by Cabinet Order in accordance with the 1992 Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.[5]
The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:
EX | Extinct | No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. |
EW | Extinct in the wild | Known only to survive in captivity or as (a) naturalized population(s) well outside its previous range. |
CR | Critically endangered | The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. |
EN | Endangered | The species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. |
VU | Vulnerable | The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. |
NT | Near threatened | The species does not currently meet the criteria for CR, EN, or VU but is close or likely to do so in the near future. |
LC | Least concern | The species has been evaluated and does not meet the qualifying criteria for CR, EN, VU, or NT. |
DD | Data deficient | There is inadequate information to assess the risk of extinction of this species. |