Japanese name: Sukumiringogai Scientific name: Pomacea canaliculata Description: A fairly large snail with a shell 40 to 60 mm wide and 45 to 75 mm high, and coloration varying from yellow and green to dark brown; some have spiral bands. The tentacle-like antennae are ...

A prime slice of fatty, creamy otoro — belly-meat of Bluefin tuna — isn’t cheap. These days in Tokyo, you can expect to pay at least ¥10,000 ($100) for a goodly portion of the stuff. As supplies dwindle, prices of tuna have been going ...

Japanese name: Otoshibumi Scientific name: Apoderus jekeli Description: These are odd-looking, but I think quite charismatic little beetles, with elongated heads and powerful limbs, especially the forelimbs. They have straight antennae, which place them among the primitive weevils; they grow to about 6 mm ...

Japanese name:Miyako hikigaeru Scientific name: Bufo gargarizans miyakonis Description: A real “witch’s toad,” this is a large (up to 18-cm long) warty amphibian, with bulging black eyes and powerful limbs. The skin is yellow-beige. Where to find them: As the name suggests, these toads ...

Japanese name: Kusagame Scientific name: Chinemys reevesii Description: Also known as Reeve’s turtle, this is a small reptile, growing to about 20-25 cm long (though larger individuals have been reported in Japan), whose shape is more rectangular than oval. It has three ridges (keels) ...

I love it when animals do things that we don’t expect, especially when they do things we might have species- centeredly thought were unique to humans, or when they do something that appears to be “out of character.” So that’s warning enough right away ...

Japanese name: Mugitsuku Scientific name: Pungtungia herzi Description: Also known as the “striped shiner,” this is a small, sparkling fish, growing up to 55mm long. There is a broad black stripe running down the length of the body, and a brown stripe on the ...

It’s often said what a privilege it is to attend a birth, and so it was in July that I felt lucky to witness the moments after the birth — by hatching — of a Green Turtle. I’d been enjoying the simple pleasure of ...

Japanese name: Ookonohazuku Scientific name: Otus bakkamoena lempiji Description: For an owl, this is a small bird, but for a Scops Owl, it’s on the large side if it gets to 20-24 cm long and 100-170 grams’ weight. These owls have large tufted “eyebrows,” ...

A couple of weeks ago I was woken at dawn by the booming screeches of the aptly named Howler Monkey. I was in Costa Rica, in the cloud forest of Monteverde. Among those who know, Monteverde is famous because the cloud-forest reserve is at ...