The river otter found on the island of Tsushima in southwestern Japan is unlikely to be the Japanese river otter, an endemic species that has been declared extinct, a researcher said Thursday.
The river otter found on the island of Tsushima in southwestern Japan is unlikely to be the Japanese river otter, an endemic species that has been declared extinct, a researcher said Thursday.
The Environment Ministry conducted research across Tsushima between Aug. 28 and Sept. 2 after a video image captured a wild river otter on the island in Nagasaki Prefecture in February, marking the first discovery of the creature in the country in 38 years.
The survey found that at least one Eurasian otter, a species similar to the type that live in South Korea and the Russian province of Sakhalin, inhabits the island, the ministry said.
