Sika Deer
The sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) are large species found throughout Hokkaido, including in Shiretoko National Park.
A fully grown adult male weighs 130 to 150 kilograms, while females weigh around 80 kilograms. Males can reach a length of 190 centimeters and females a length of 150 centimeters.
Sika deer were almost wiped out from some regions of Hokkaido in the early 1900s, but these areas have since been repopulated, and the number of deer on the peninsula has increased so dramatically that it now seriously impacts the peninsula’s ecology. Deer consume tree bark and have changed the vegetation composition across the peninsula.