Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

2023/2/15
Affiliation/Positio

Wildlife Research Center, D1/PWS L3

NamenHeping Li

1. Country/location of visit
Yakushima Island
2. Research project
Advanced training in field biology in 2023 Winter3. Date (departing from/returning to Japan)
2023. 01. 28 – 2023. 02. 03 (7days)
4. Main host researcher and affiliation
Dr. Sugiura Hideki & Dr. Yoko Mitani, Professor at Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University; Mr. Suzumura
Takafumi at Koshima Field Station
5. Progress and results of your research/activity (You can attach extra pages if needed)
Please insert one or more pictures (to be publicly released). Below each picture, please provide a brief description.

I attended Advanced training in field biology to experience terrestrial field research and learn to conduct individual
identification on Yakushima macaque (Macaca fuscata yakui). In addition, I participate the sighting observationsof humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) from the land. I learnt some fundamental knowledge of terrestrial
fieldwork and the method to identify Yakushima macaque based on some distinctive features. I also experienced
the differences between sighting observations of marine mammals from the land and on the boat.
Overall schedule
1/28 Travelled from Kyoto to Yakushima. Pre-checked the spot for sighting observations of humpback whales. Brief
introduction of the training course.
1/29 Searched for whale watching spots and conducted a sighting survey of humpback whales in the morning. Met
two groups of Yakushima macaques and conducted observation in the afternoon.
1/30 Learnt basic observation methods of whale sighting survey and conducted sighting observations after that.
1/31 Conducted sighting survey of humpback whales in the morning. After lunchtime, searched for Yakushima
macaque and conducted extensive observations.
2/1 Searched for Yakushima macaque in the morning and conducted sighting survey at the whale observation spot
for two hours. After that, searching for Yakushima macaque.
2/2 Conducted whole-day observation of Yakushima macaque and did the individual identification. Summarized
the data that we collected during the training course.
2/3 Cleaned up the field station and travelled back to Kyoto City.
Day 1 (1/28)
Half of the day was spent on transportation, and we arrived at Yakushima Airport around 13 o’ clock. To save time,
we bought some food first and started searching for nice spots for sighting observation of humpback whales. Thanks
to the local volunteers, we achieved to observe some blows of humpback whales. However, the wind was quite
strong that day and leveled up the difficulties for beginners to search for whales. Compared with the sighting survey
from boats, our field of view was limited on the land. It was also difficult to keep observing their behaviors or takephoto identifications due to the unreachable distance. Despite the challenging weather conditions, I observed ahumpback whale launch itself out of the waters, which is also known as breach behavior. That was also my firstsight of a humpback whale breach, as they seldom exhibit that behavior in the waters of Hokkaido.
Day 2 (1/29)
On the second day, we checked another two sighting spots for humpback whales and conducted sighting survey
after deciding the observation place. During the one-hour observation, we found five individuals and observed
various behaviors, including blow, dive, and fluke up (which indicates a deeper, longer dive). Whale observation
ended with great joy. After lunchtime, we meet two groups of Yakushima macaques. We started the individual
identification and tried to record their distinctive features. It was difficult for me, a person without any previous
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2022.06.28 version

Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

experience, to distinguish the differences between individuals. Following the guidance of Dr. Sugiura and Mr.
Suzumura, I was able to identify some adult macaques with significant facial features. We followed some macaques
uphill and saw a lovely scene, a huddling group of macaques for warmth in a sudden shower of rain. Two individuals
gave me a deep impression; one seemed to be an alpha male, while another was an older female with a baby face.

Fig1. Huddling group of macaques.

Fig2. Groups of macaques we met on the road.

Day 3 (1/30)
The first two days of sighting observations raise the interest in searching for whales. On the third day, Dr. Mitani
gave an introduction on the data collection procedures of marine mammals. Subjective environmental variables(e.g., weather, sea condition, glare) were pre-checked and recorded before the sighting survey of humpback whales.
We saw five individuals at the first spot and observed two blows at the second spot despite the intense glare. We
feasted our eyes on humpback whales at the third spot, there we also observed pec slap behavior when humpback
whales slowly slapped the water’s surface with their pectoral fins. The great show of humpback whales ended
around sunset hours.

Fig3. Pec slap behavior of a humpback
whale (photo by Dr. Yoko Mitani).

Fig4. The fluke of a humpback whale(photo by Dr. Yoko Mitani).

Fig4. Breach behavior of ahumpback whale (photo by
Dr. Yoko Mitani).

Day 4 (1/31)
As time went by, we got used to searching for the cues of humpback whales from the land. A puff of white vapor(i.e., blow) was always a significant cue to find whales. Other behaviors, such as dive, fluke up, and breach, werealso observed. We stopped the observation of two whales when they swam out of sight. After that, we were back tosearching for macaques. In the afternoon, we met some macaques by the road. Some of them conducted grooming
behaviors, while other were eating the camphor trees’ leaves (クスノキ) or the cores of bead trees (センダン). Theweather was very nice, and we were able to conduct extensive observation of macaques. It was a fruitful day for us,
and we observed and tried to record some unique characteristics of some individuals in this group. After dinner, weSubmit to：report@pws.wrc.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2022.06.28 version

Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

shared the results of individual identification and made stick figures to help us identify the same individual in thefuture.
Day 5-6 (2/1~2/2)
With the information collected inprevious days, we were able todistinguish different groups ofmacaques. From the fifth day, welooked forward to increasing thenumberof
individual
identification and tried todetermine the territory range ofeach group. It was raining on andoff on the fifth day, and we didn’t
meet any group in the morning.
After lunchtime, we headed to
the whale-watching spot andFig5. One individual is eating theFig6. Photo of the core of the fruit ofconducted a sighting survey.
core of beard trees (センダン).
beard tree (センダン).
Searching for whales inintermittent rain was much more difficult, but Dr. Yoko Mitani sighted the first blow! After the sighting survey, wewent back to search for macaques again but didn’t find any targeted groups.
On the sixth day, we finally met some macaques, and after initial comparison, it turned out that they belonged to
one of the targeted groups. There were many juvenile and female individuals in that group. After the training in thepast five days, I was able to distinguish the differences between individuals. One individual named “Fredrik” had
two distinctive features: the scar on his lower lip and the white spot on the top of his left hand (Fig7). Anotheridentifiable example is a younger juvenile male because of the scar on his left arm (Fig 8). In the afternoon, wewere divided into two sub-groups to search for another targeted groups. We went uphill but found nothing; luckily,another team found them downhill. The alpha male we met before enabled us to determine they were the second
group we were looking for. Overall, we achieved to identify 13 individuals for the A-Group (group we met in theafternoon) and about 17 individuals for the B-Group (group we met in the morning). Compared with the adults, it
was much more difficult to identify juvenile individuals. Because the juveniles are still in their development, somefeatures of their appearance may be temporal. I gained practical experience in identifying macaques throughout thecourse, which was also enjoyable.

Fig7. Photo of Fredrik.

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Fig8. Photo of individual with scar on its arm.

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Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

Summary・Sighting survey of humpback whales
A total of 6 sightings were confirmed during
9 hours and 30 minutes of observation.
Behaviors including blow, dive, fluke-up, pec
slap, tail slap, and breach were observed. It
took about 15 to 20 minutes to sight the next
blow after the fluke-up behavior. However, it
was difficult to say if the blow was from thesame individual owing to the long distance.
・ Individual identification of Yakushima
macaques
We conducted behavior observation andindividual identification of two groups ofmacaques in the Yakushima World Heritage
area. Territory ranges of these two groups mayndoverlap nearby the Segiri River Bridge (瀬切 Fig9. Observation places of two macaques’ groups on 2 Feb.
川橋). We achieved to identify 30 individuals in total.
*Please have your mentor check your report before submitting it to [report@pws.wrc.kyoto-u.ac.jp].

6. Others
I would like to thank PWS for funding this course. Also, I would like to thank Dr.Sugiura, Dr. Mitani, and Mr.
Suzumura for all they help (e.g., drive, course design) throughout the trip.

Submit to：report@pws.wrc.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2022.06.28 version