Haha-jima
Encyclopedia
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of the Ogasawara Islands
Ogasawara Islands
The Bonin Islands, known in Japan as the are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, they are part of Ogasawara Municipality of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo...
or Bonin Islands south of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese main island chain. It is about 21 km² in area.
The highest points are Mt. Chibusa (Chibusa-yama), approximately 462m, and Mt. Sakaigatake (Sakaigatake), 443m. The largest island of the group, Chichi-jima
Chichi-jima
, formerly known as Peel Island and in the 19th century known to the English as part of the Bonin Islands, is the largest island in the Ogasawara archipelago. Chichi-jima is approximately 150 miles north of Iwo Jima. The island is within the political boundaries of Ogasawara Town, Ogasawara...
("Father Island") is approximately 50 km to the North. Together with nearby smaller islands like the Elder and Younger Sister Islands Ane-jima and Imōto-jima and Mukō-jima, Haha-jima forms the Haha-jima Rettō (母島列島), Haha-jima Group, or in former times, Baily Group.
The island is within the political boundaries of Ogasawara Village
Ogasawara, Tokyo
is a village in Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo, Japan, that governs the Bonin Islands, Volcano Islands and three remote islands .-Geography:...
, Ogasawara Subprefecture
Ogasawara Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Tokyo, Japan. The subprefecture covers the Bonin Islands and includes the village of Ogasawara; and the prefectural government maintains a main office on Chichijima and a branch office on Hahajima....
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
History
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Japanese government removed the locals and fortified the island; it was the target of several attacks by US forces during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. What is left of the defense works is now one of the tourist attractions of the island. The island can be reached by ferry in about 2 hours from Chichi-jima. The economy of Haha-jima is based on fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, as well as a state-run rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
distillery.
Today Haha-jima has a population of 450, but the population was 1,546 in 1904 and 1,905 in 1940. There is one road from the (now-abandoned) village of Kita (Kita-mura, 北村) at the north end of the island to the village of Oki (Oki-mura, 沖村) at the southern end of the island, where the harbor is located. Ogasawara Village operates the island's public elementary and junior high schools. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board manages the individual school systems within the metropolis. The board also directly manages all of the public high schools in Tokyo...
operates Ogasawara High School
Ogasawara High School
is a public high school on Chichi-jima in Ogasawara, Tokyo, Japan. The school is a part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.The school is the sole public high school in the Bonin Islands.-External links:*...
http://www.ogasawara-h.metro.tokyo.jp/ on nearby Chichi-jima
Chichi-jima
, formerly known as Peel Island and in the 19th century known to the English as part of the Bonin Islands, is the largest island in the Ogasawara archipelago. Chichi-jima is approximately 150 miles north of Iwo Jima. The island is within the political boundaries of Ogasawara Town, Ogasawara...
.
Ecology
Haha-jima is of considerable interest to malacologists because of its endemic land snailLand snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...
fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
, including the eponymous Lamprocystis hahajimana
Lamprocystis hahajimana
Lamprocystis hahajimana is a species of small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Euconulidae, the hive snails....
. Due to the widespread presence of invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
including goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s (which destroy habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
) and rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, flatworm
Flatworm
The flatworms, known in scientific literature as Platyhelminthes or Plathelminthes are a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegmented, soft-bodied invertebrate animals...
s and the Rosy Wolfsnail (which eat the native snails), it was feared that many of the endemics had become extinct.
But most if not all of the endemic land snail species seem to persist on the remote Higashizaki peninsula on the eastern coast. This is a quite pristine expanse of ground, scenic but very hard to reach (one has to climb Mt. Chibusa before descending to the peninsula). It consists of sheer seacliffs surrounding a plateau with Chinese fan palm
Chinese fan palm
Livistona chinensis, the Chinese fan palm or fountain palm, is a species of subtropical palm tree in eastern Asia. It is native to Southern Japan, Taiwan and several Chinese islands in the South China Sea....
(Livistona chinensis), pandanus
Pandanus
Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. They are numerous palmlike dioecious trees and shrubs native of the Old World tropics and subtropics. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.-Overview:...
and broadleaf (e.g. Persea kobu, a wild avocado
Avocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
) forest, and appears to be untouched by invasive species at present. It has been proposed that access to the area should be monitored, so that visitors will not inadvertently contribute to destroying this unique area.
Snails
All of these snails are endemic at least to the Ogasawara IslandsOgasawara Islands
The Bonin Islands, known in Japan as the are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, they are part of Ogasawara Municipality of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo...
.
- Boninena callistodermaBoninena callistodermaBoninena callistoderma is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Enidae.This species is currently only endemic to Haha-jima and Ane-jima in the Ogasawara Islands , having been extirpated from other parts of this archipelago....
- Endangered, now restricted to Haha-jima and nearby Ane-jima - Gastrocopta boninensisGastrocopta boninensisGastrocopta boninensis is a species of very small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Vertiginidae, the vertigo snails. This species is endemic to Japan.-References:...
- Vulnerable - Hirasea acutissimaHirasea acutissimaHirasea acutissima is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Endodontidae.Hirasea acutissima was endemic to Haha-jima in the Ogasawara Islands, Japan....
- Endangered (believed extinct, rediscovered 2003), endemic to Haha-jima - Lamellidea biplicataLamellidea biplicataLamellidea biplicata is a species of air-breathing tropical land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Achatinellidae. This species is endemic to Japan.-References:* Tomiyama, K. 1996. . Downloaded on 7 August 2007....
- VulnerableVulnerable speciesOn 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:... - Lamprocystis hahajimanaLamprocystis hahajimanaLamprocystis hahajimana is a species of small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Euconulidae, the hive snails....
- Endangered - Mandarina hahajimanaMandarina hahajimanaMandarina hahajimana is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Camaenidae. This species is endemic to Japan.-References:* Mollusc Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 7 August 2007....
- Data deficientData DeficientData Deficient is a category applied by the IUCN, other agencies, and individuals to a species when the available information is not sufficient for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made...
, possibly a new taxonTaxon|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement... - Mandarina politaMandarina politaMandarina luhuana is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Camaenidae. This species is endemic to Japan.-References:* Mollusc Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 7 August 2007....
- Data deficient - Ogasawarana yoshiwaranaOgasawarana yoshiwaranaOgasawarana yoshiwarana is a species of land snail with an operculum, a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the family Helicinidae, the helicinids.- Description :...
- Critically endangeredCritically endangeredVersion 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
(believed extinct, rediscovered 2003), endemic to Haha-jima - Ogasawarana arataOgasawarana arataOgasawarana arata is a species of gastropod in the Helicinidae family. It is endemic to Japan.-Source:* Mollusc Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 7 August 2007....
- Data deficient - Paludinella minimaPaludinella minimaPaludinella minima is a species of minute salt marsh snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Assimineidae. This species is endemic to Japan.- Further reading :...
- Data deficient - Ptychalaea dedecoraPtychalaea dedecoraPtychalaea dedecora is a species of very small terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Pupillidae.This species is vulnerable.- References :* Tomiyama, K. 1996. . Downloaded on 7 August 2007....
- Vulnerable - Tornatellides tryoni
Birds
Among birds, the Bonin White-eyeBonin White-eye
The Bonin White-eye Apalopteron familiare or is a small yellow and grey bird endemic to the Ogasawara Islands of Japan. Until recently it was considered part of the Meliphagidae family of honeyeaters and was called the Bonin Honeyeater.A distinctive feature of the bird is the white rim around the...
(Apalopteron familiare), a gaudy-colored passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
, seems to occur nowhere else anymore than on Haha-jima. The extinct Bonin Grosbeak
Bonin Grosbeak
The Bonin Grosbeak or Bonin Islands Grosbeak is an extinct finch, the only species of the genus Chaunoproctus. It is one of the diverse bird taxa that are vernacularly called "grosbeaks", but it is not closely related to the grosbeaks sensu stricto. It was a retiring, although not shy bird, and...
(Chaunoproctus ferreorostris) is sometimes said to have occurred in the Hahajima Group (though not on Haha-jima itself), but this seems not to be true. Columba janthina nitens, the Ogasawara subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Japanese Wood-pigeon
Japanese Wood-pigeon
The Japanese Wood Pigeon is a species of bird in the Columba genus in the Columbidae family. It is found in China, Japan, Southern part of Korean peninsula, Russia, and Taiwan...
, used to occur on Haha-jima. While it is not precisely known when it vanished from this island, the taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
apparently became completely extinct during the 1980s.