Creepy Crawly: The Creatures of Okinawa

As I write this I understand that the east coast is being hit by Hurricane Sandy, otherwise known as "Frankenstorm".   I am completely confident that you will all be well, perhaps without electricity, but well.  And, while I wish you could be spared this hurricane, I can't help saying, "Better you than me".   After we've had 4 typhoons in the period of one 2 months I can't help thanking  the weather gods for spreading the wealth.

I've been saving this post for a while because I thought it would be appropriate to share on Halloween.  However, it is after the last typhoon that I thought to share with you the critters of Okinawa.  You see, after a typhoon all the creepy crawly beings are quite flustered and they are on the move.   I was warned, quite strongly, by our lawn care provider that I should be on the lookout for the Habu after a typhoon.  The Habu snake is not the only thing on the move so, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to some of Okinawa's creepy crawlers!

This is "Shell-don".  He lives nearby our side door.  He is about the size of the palm of my hand.  This is no wee hermit crab. And, despite his cumbersome looking mobile home, he moves rather quickly.  "Shell-don" is harmless and a regular occupant of our yard.  We look for him in the evening so that we don't accidently hear a "crunch" when walking outside.

Anyone who has talked to me on the phone or seen my facebook comments will know that we have geckos...lots of geckos.  They are called "yaru" (yah-roo) and that means "guardian of the house". The Okinawan people believe that the gecko brings good luck so they are not killed.  They do eat bugs, which is the only reason I tolerate them in the house.  While the gecko may eat bugs and bring good fortune, it also brings lots of poop.  Proportionally speaking, the gecko, which is about the size of my thumb, poops like a New York City rat.

This is the body print of a baby gecko.  It was on the lid of my kitchen garbage can.  The baby gecko is about 1 inch in length and must have just been hatched in a location where it picked up a bit of dust (probably a vent).  

This little (not!) guy is nick named the "banana" spider.    Bottom line:  They aren't poisonous, but their bite is painful, which is only mildly reassuring.  The leg span of the "banana" spider is about 5-6 inches long.  This spider is big and that is a good thing.  I can spot one of these long before bumbling into one of its webs.

The Habu snake is probably the most vile of all land creatures here on Okinawa.  They are very poisonous.  They are most active during the fall and spring and after a typhoon shakes up the natural environment.  They are also nocturnal.  So, since I have no intention of cutting a swath through the jungle at night I hope to never come face to face with one of these lovelies.

Yup... those are jars with Habu snakes.  The jars are filled with sake (sah-keh) and are sold in many stores on Okinawa.  No need to find your way to a back alley, seedy hole in the wall to purchase one of these as they are quite main stream.

There is a definite lack of wild furry creatures.  So, when I happened to see this furry little guy I was a bit surprised.  (As it turns out, I only know of two animals with fur.  You'll read about the other below.)  This is a mongoose.  The mongoose is not native to the Ryukyu islands, but was brought to Okinawa in the early 1900's to help curb the habu population.  Good intention, bad outcome.  Yes, the mongoose will actually devour a habu snake and live to eat another.  However, there is one problem:  The habu is nocturnal and the mongoose is not.  This has caused a problem on the island as the mongoose eats other creatures the Okinawans would rather it didn't.  Plus, the mongoose has no natural predators on the island.  Frankly, I'm just happy to see something that looks cute and fluffy.

Our other furry friend is the Ryukyu flying fox or as I like to call them, bats. The flying fox is actually a fruit bat that is not in the least dangerous to humans.  Within 24 hours of our arrival I spotted one of these flying overhead at twilight.  I've since seen them flying about at twilight, in the pre-dawn hours and it was very interesting, if a bit creepy, when I spotted one hanging upside-down from a tree sleeping.  I hear that these are endangered, yet I see them at least once a day.

Last, but definitely not the least is the box jellyfish.  I was only going to write about land critters in this post, but this creature deserves a mention as both John and Paul were stung by one of these back in 2004 when we were here for a visit.  The tentacles leave burn marks on the skin that resemble the tentacles themselves.  These are nasty creatures and even though I know they must serve some purpose in the eco system, they are in the top 10 of my "Useless Creature" list.   Thankfully, there is a beach nearby that has a "jellyfish" net in the water and we can swim there without the little, back- of -your- mind feeling that we might get stung.


That's enough critters for now.  I hope everyone is safe and dry during your "Frankenstorm" and we all wish you a HAPPY HALLOWEEN=D

Photo Credits: The photo of the mongoose and the fruit bad come from a blog called Mike's Ryukyu Gallery.  The photo of "Shell-don" and the gecko print are mine.  The other gecko comes from a blog called Love Okinawa.