Amami's Sea Creatures

The Kuroshio current moves through the waters of the Amami archipelago, where the particularly nutrient-rich water trickling from Amami Oshima's forests and rivers flows onward into the sea. Each of the diverse species of creatures dwelling in the stone reefs, bays, mangrove areas, coastlines and the coral reef that forms the barrier to open water is specifically adapted to its environment. These geographies are home to about1,600 fish species distributed among roughly 400 different coral species.
Migratory sea turtles and whales also visit Amami Oshima, where the discovery of Amami hoshizora and other new species made world headlines.