| Shiretoko Peninsula | |
|---|---|
 A satellite image of the Shiretoko Peninsula | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Rausu, Shari andRausu |
| Elevation | 1,661 m (5,449 ft) |
| Coordinates | 44°4′33″N145°7′21″E / 44.07583°N 145.12250°E /44.07583; 145.12250 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 70 km (43 mi) SW-NE |
| Width | 25 km (16 mi) NW-SE |
| Area | 1,230 km2 (470 mi2) |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Ainusir etok, "the end of the Earth" or "the place where the Earth protrudes" |
| Native name | |
| Geography | |
 Northeastern corner of the archipelago | |
| Country | Japan |
| State | Hokkaido |
| Regions | |
| Districts | |
| Range coordinates | 44°5.8′N145°9.2′E / 44.0967°N 145.1533°E /44.0967; 145.1533 |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Island arc |
| Rock type | Volcanic |
| Official name | Shiretoko |
| Criteria | Natural: (ix), (x) |
| Reference | 1193 |
| Inscription | 2005 (29thSession) |
| Area | 71,100 ha (176,000 acres) |
TheShiretoko Peninsula (知床半島,Shiretoko-hantō) is located on the easternmost portion of theJapaneseisland ofHokkaido, protruding into theSea of Okhotsk. It is separated fromKunashiri Island by theNemuro Strait. The name Shiretoko is derived from theAinu wordsir etok, meaning "the end of the Earth"[1] or "the place where the Earth protrudes". The towns ofRausu andShari are found on the peninsula.
The Shiretoko Peninsula was registered as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 2005, in recognition of the peninsula being the southernmost point wheresea ice usually forms in theNorthern Hemisphere.[2]
From Shiretoko Cape at the tip of the peninsula, a series of volcanoes runs down the peninsula, includingMount Shiretoko,Mount Unabetsu, andMount Iō. It is part of the Chishima volcanic zone.[1][3] The highest peak isMount Rausu.[3] The peninsula is 70 kilometres (43 mi) long and 25 kilometres (16 mi) wide at its base.[3] It covers some 123,000 hectares (470 sq mi)[3]
The peninsula is bounded on the northwest side by theSea of Okhotsk[1] and the southeast side by the Pacific Ocean. To the east,Kunashiri Island runs parallel to the peninsula.[1] The Kunashiri can be seen from Shiretoko Peninsula.[1] Kunashiri has been occupied byRussia since September 1, 1945, and disputed by Japan.[1]
The coldOyashio Current flows southwest along the east side of the peninsula, and theSoya Current flows southeast from the Sea of Okhotsk until it is redirected north along the west side of the peninsula.[1] In winter, the Soya Current carries sea ice south from the Sea of Okhotsk where it dams along the west side of the Shiretoko Peninsula resulting in the lowest latitude regularly occurring sea ice on earth at43 degrees north.[4]
The volcanic zone has made severalonsen possible, including Seseki Onsen and Iwaobetsu Onsen.
TheOyashio Current profoundly impacts the weather of the peninsula. Shiretoko Peninsula has short summers and long winters.[1] The current causes fog on the southeastern coast andsea ice in the winter.[1] Snow covers the peaks from September to June, except the very highest peaks, which retain snow all summer long.[1]
The strong subarctic ocean current makes it difficult for boats to navigate. On April 23, 2022, a 19-ton tourist boat with 26 people on board sank during a tour around the Shiretoko peninsula.[5] The boat was found 100 meters below sea level near the scenic site Kashuni Falls.[5] The bodies of 14 people were found and 12 went missing.[5]
The Shiretoko Peninsula is home to many species of bothconifers andbroadleaf trees, including theacorn-bearingQuercus mongolica (mizunara).Siberian dwarf pine trees grow above 1,000 metres (3,000 ft).[3]Red foxes andsika deer also inhabit the area. There are a large number ofUssuri brown bears.[3] The upper reaches of Mount Rausu, Mount Onnebetsu, and Mount Shari are the only known breeding areas ofArctic warblers in Hokkaidō.[3]Sea eagles flourish here, andseals can be often seen on the coast. The last confirmed record ofJapanese otter in Hokkaido was from Shari River[6]
Whale watching is a popular attraction for tourists. Thirteen or fourteen species ofcetaceans have been recorded in the area. Especially fororcas, or killer whales, the waters surrounding the peninsula are regarded as one of the most significant habitat areas in the northwestern Pacific.[citation needed] There was a notable massstranding of twelve animals in February 2005. Nine animals died.[7][8] In 2019, two white individuals have been sighted.[9][10] In 2019 and 2021, several white individuals were seen.[11]
Shiretoko Peninsula is one of the few places where groups of malesperm whales andbeaked whales includingBaird's beaked whales can be spotted from the shore. Other frequently seen species includeminke whales,Pacific white-sided dolphins,Dall's porpoises, andharbour porpoises.[12] Newly describedSato's beaked whale inhabits the area as well.[13][14][15][16]。
Endangered populations ofhumpback whales andfin whales in the Sea of Okhotsk have started to recover in recent years. Somebeluga whales, or white whales, that are thought to be vagrants from the endangered population in the northern Sea of Okhotsk do occur, specifically a sub-adult individual that continuously appeared at the town ofShibetsu for several years in the 2000s.North Pacific right whales, the most endangered of all the great whales, have been observed close to the shore mainly on the Sea of Okhotsk side of the peninsula for several times including in 2013, 2018, and 2019 with several sightings noted in 2013 and 2019, and 2018 sighting and one of 2019 sighting have been made by the same tour operator, Doutou Kanko Kaihatsu (Corporation) (jp:道東観光開発).[17][18][19][20] From June 21 to 23, 2015, the first ever sighting of abowhead whale in the Japanese EEZ occurred (the first record of the species in the nation was of a catch record inOsaka Bay on June 23, 1969).[21] Several records from whaling days showblue whales to have been harpooned and landed at Abashiri port, though this species normally does not enter adjacent seas and are now thought to be almost extinct in Japan's waters. As deep, productive water, some species ofbeaked whales favor the area includingCuvier's beaked whales,Stejneger's beaked whales, and others. Baird's beaked whales, the largest of this group, are most frequently observed close to shore. An unidentified form or subspecies of beaked whale is known to inhabit the waters off Shiretoko Peninsula and Abashiri.[22]Long-finned pilot whales which once inhabited the waters around Hokkaido are thought to have become extinct in the 12th century, but unconfirmed sightings ofshort-finned pilot whales have been reported in Nemuro Strait though the area is out of their normal range.
There is notable flora diversity including endemicCymathaere japonica, endangered species such asViola kitamiana (Japanese) which Japanese name was named after Shiretoko Peninsula,Dendranthema arcticum,Astragalus japonicus.[23]
To protect the wild animals and natural environment of the Shiretoko Peninsula, in 1964 a great portion of the peninsula was designatedShiretoko National Park.[1] Since then, the park has been subject to strict regulation as a nature preserve, and entering is prohibited.
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