Kojima

An island in Kushima City, Miyazaki Prefecture. It lies about 250 meters offshore from Ishinami Kaigan Coast in Nichinan Coast Quasi-National Park. A small island with a circumference of about 3 kilometers and a highest point of 114 meters, it is also known as Monkey Island and is the habitat of a group of Japanese macaques. About 100 monkeys live on the island, and they are known for their cultural behaviors such as washing potatoes and swimming in the sea, which they learned after being fed in 1947 (Showa 22). Kyoto University's Primate Research Institute has facilities on the island and on the opposite shore, where ecological research on wild monkeys is conducted. The entire island is covered in evergreen broad-leaved forest, and subtropical plants also flourish. As a habitat for monkeys, it has been designated a national natural monument.

[Junichi Yokoyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

宮崎県串間市(くしまし)にある島。日南海岸国定公園石波海岸(いしなみかいがん)の沖合い約250メートルにある。周囲約3キロメートル、最高点114メートルの小島で、猿島(さるしま)ともいわれ、ニホンザルの群の生息地。約100頭がすみ、1947年（昭和22）の餌(え)づけ以降覚えたイモ洗いや海水浴などの文化的行動で知られる。島内と対岸に京都大学霊長類研究所の施設があり、野猿(やえん)の生態研究が行われている。全島照葉樹林に覆われ、亜熱帯植物も繁茂する。サル生息地として国指定天然記念物。

［横山淳一］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例