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.
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