Animals (short version)
Ise-Shima National Park’s diverse environment of forests, mountains, rocky cliffs, beaches, and bays provide habitats for a wide range of wildlife.
The intertidal zones (shore areas covered by water during high tide) are a habitat for many species that can be seen only at low tide. These include sea anemones, crabs, starfish, sea urchins, various types of shellfish, and sea slugs. Ise-Shima’s famous Japanese spiny lobster and abalone hide between the rocks on the foreshore and among the reefs on the ocean floor.
Ise Bay and the beaches along the Pacific coast attract loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) and provide valuable nesting areas for them.
Numerous fish and crustacean-eating seabirds live near the coast. These include the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), which can be seen all year round, especially around Ise Bay and near large river mouths. They gather in great numbers at these sites. Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) patrol the coast as they hunt for fish, diving when they spot prey.
Rare insects including the four-spot midget (Mortonagrion hirosei), a species of damselfly, inhabit the estuaries and tidal flats.
The mountains here are habitats for many animals including deer, wild boar, and Japanese macaque monkeys.