Only four stuffed Japanese wolves, which are said to have become extinct in the Meiji era, are on display at a museum in Kainan City, Wakayama Prefecture.
Japanese wolves once lived in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, but they were exterminated as vermin and are thought to have been extinct after being captured in Nara prefecture in 1883, about 110 years ago. I will.
The Prefectural Museum of Nature in Kainan City keeps one of the only four stuffed Japanese wolves in the world from Wakayama University, and exhibits it every year for a limited time at this time.
The stuffed animal was captured in the southern part of Nara prefecture from 1897 to 1938, and is about 1 meter long, which is the largest stuffed Japanese wolf in existence, and is characterized by its sharp triangular ears. is.
Taxidermy is a great enemy of moisture, so the museum displays it in a special glass case that is sealed to prevent outside air from entering.
A boy in the 4th grade of elementary school said, "The hair was firmer than I expected. I wanted to see a living Japanese wolf."
Ayumu Sasaki, curator of the Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Nature, said, "There are only four precious things in the world, so please take a look."
The stuffed animal will be on display until the 31st of this month.