Japanese Dormouse: Wildlife Conservation and Environmental Education
Written by Shisaku Minato, University of Tokyo Press, June 2018, 272 pages, 4,600 yen (excluding tax).
I think that not only myself, but quite a few members of this society, started researching a certain creature simply because they loved it beyond measure. The author of this book, Dr. Shusaku Minato, is one such creature lover, and this book is an explosion of the author's "dormouse love." As is immediately obvious just by picking up the book, there are no fewer than 27 cute color photographs of the Japanese dormouse wrapped entirely around the cover. Even upon reading the book straight through, the author's true feelings—such as "cute little bottom" and "cute voice"—slip out here and there. The research on life history, such as reproduction, child-rearing, and hibernation, which forms the core of this book, is conducted in remarkable detail for a species that should be extremely difficult to encounter in the wild, and it is research that could only be unlocked by an author brimming with dormouse love. The book also details the hardships of research at various times and the emotions felt at the time of discovery, giving it a strong aspect as an autobiographical story of a researcher.
This book consists of chapters 1 through 9, among which chapters 3 ("Reproduction"), 4 ("Child-rearing"), 5 ("Vocal Communication"), 6 ("Hibernation"), and 7 ("Conservation") stand out as particularly robust and engaging. Chapters 3 through 5 form a continuous body of research, which began when the authors became the first in the world to hear the mating of the Japanese dormouse and the vocalizations emitted during the process. First, Chapter 3 introduces research ranging from the analysis of mating behavior to the nesting materials used for breeding nests. The meticulousness of these studies is astounding, and it is even more surprising that most of them were conducted together with children while the author was an elementary school teacher. In particular, the research on breeding nests has been utilized in subsequent conservation efforts for the Japanese dormouse. Chapter 4 provides a detailed introduction to the frequency of births and the growth of the pups. Regarding the growth of the pups in particular, weight fluctuations by age in days are described in detail. Originally, measuring the weight of pups during child-rearing should be difficult because it could lead to the parents abandoning their young. However, the author devised a clever way to eliminate the parents' wariness and successfully weighed the pups. Here too, one can sense that this research is driven by a deep love for dormice. In Chapter 5, the reader can follow the process by which the author, who wished to become like Doctor Dolittle who could understand the language of animals, shed light on the dormouse language. By discovering that they emit ultrasound in addition to audible sounds, and by observing the behavior of the pups in relation to the vocalizations they produce, the author finally succeeds in clarifying a part of the dormouse language.
Chapter 6 introduces research on hibernation. The Japanese dormouse is written with the kanji characters for "hibernation mouse," which highlights how hibernation is a major characteristic of the species. This chapter clarifies the mechanisms of hibernation, such as the fact that dormice hibernate primarily in environments where they can synchronize their body temperature with the outside air, that when arousing they can rapidly warm their bodies up to a temperature that allows for activity, and that, in fact, they arouse multiple times even during hibernation. Above all, dormouse hibernation research is being applied to human activities in outer space. This is truly a prime example of how steady, basic research can benefit human society and teaches us the significance of preserving biodiversity.
Chapter 7, "Conservation," introduces in detail the case study of constructing animal pathways as a conservation effort for the Japanese dormouse. This large-scale conservation initiative, which involved major construction companies and general volunteers, makes us ponder what is necessary to protect wildlife.
Much of this book is written in a tone so gentle that even elementary school students could probably read it, yet it also occasionally mixes in an explanatory tone. The tone can shift abruptly within the same chapter, which might make it somewhat difficult to read for those accustomed to standard academic books. In addition to the Japanese dormouse, the book also includes overview descriptions of foreign dormouse species. It is recommended not only for those who want to learn about the biology of the Japanese dormouse and other members of the dormouse family, but also for those who want to read the story of a researcher overflowing with a love for living things, as well as for students and school teachers interested in environmental conservation and biology education.
United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University
Gen Ito
Japanese dormouse book review (PDF file)
