The coasts, islands and waters of Saikai National Park are enormously biodiverse. The marine park zone around the Goto Islands has colonies of Acropora spp. coral and many types of fish. You may also see migratory birds like the crested honey buzzard and Chinese sparrowhawk.
Plants
Kanoko-yuri
Kanoko-yuri (Lilium speciosum) is a member of the lily family native to southern parts of Japan and China. It blooms between mid-July and mid-August—later than other species of lily. Its flowers are white or pink, and exude a rich fragrance.
Kanoko-yuri
Seagrass Beds
The park's seagrass beds include aquatic plants such as eelgrass and paddleweed, and algae such as sargassum. These rich habitats nurture a variety of marine life.
Seagrass beds
Animals
Japanese Horseshoe Crab
Despite its name, the Japanese horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) is more closely related to spiders and scorpions. It has changed little over the last 200 million years—essentially a living fossil. It breeds between the Seto Inland Sea and northwestern Kyushu.
Japanese horseshoe crab
Crested Honey Buzzard
The crested honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) is a bird of prey that primarily feeds on wasp and hornet larvae and pupa. Migrating buzzards all stop at Osezaki Cape in autumn on the journey from Japan to Borneo, the Philippines and Indonesia via China.
Crested honey buzzard