What is Japan's national animal? Meet their vibrant national symbols

What is Japan's national animal? Meet their vibrant national symbols

Japan has two colourful national animals - a national bird and a national fish - but what are they?

Published: September 1, 2023 at 6:09 pm

Japan is another country not content with just one national animal. Instead, Japan has a national bird, the beautiful green pheasant (Phasianus versicolor) and a national fish, the famed Koi carp (Cyprinus rubrofuscus)

Green pheasants are found only on the Japanese archipelago and lives in woodlands and farmlands, as well as human settlements. Males of this species are particularly striking, with bottle-green breast feathers and a bright red face.

In the wild they eat worms and insects, grains and plants

Japanese green pheasants feature throughout the country's folklore with it reportedly being the messenger of Amaterasu, the ancient sun goddess.

©Asturio Cantabrio, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Koi © Asturio Cantabrio, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Koi are similarly eye-catching. They are in fact coloured, domestic varieties of the wild Amur carp, bred for decorative purposes and coming in more than 100 beautiful varieties.

They are a symbol of symbol of luck, perseverance, prosperity, and good fortune

Top image: Japanese green pheasant © Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Gary Brookshaw / Getty Images

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