Cat signs are usually in the shape of a yellow diamond with a black frame. Inside are black silhouettes with several jumping cats. Single cats are also found, they have a classic silhouette. But in the images of three cats at once, all the cats are depicted in an elegant jump, as if hunting mice.
There are also signs with other animals, birds and reptiles, which are also warning. And they usually have a single silhouette. However, the most common warnings are those about cats. For example, in the city of Ino, Kochi Prefecture, and on roads in other regions, signs with cat silhouettes have the inscriptions: “Caution! Animals!“, “Be careful!“. "Be careful, the cat may jump out!"
In general, Japan can be considered a record holder for the presence of "zoo" signs warning of the appearance on the road of mustachioed, furry, ungulates, plus crawling, jumping, sometimes flying animals that meow, bark, hiss, coo, chirp and make all sorts of sounds that cannot be translated.
Who specifically do the signs warn about?
Caution, cats.
Caution, frogs.
Caution, dogs.
Caution, snakes.
Caution, squirrels.
Caution, rats.
Caution, bats.
Caution, rabbits.
Caution, wild boars.
Caution, deer.
Caution, raccoons bears.
Caution, bears.
Caution, cows.
Caution, horses.
This is not a complete list, but just a selection. If you look at the interesting animal warning signs in Japan, collected from all over the country, they are clearly distinguished by the silhouette of the animal. They are similar to the ones already given above in the example of warnings about cats.
There are also signs of endangered species. For example, the endangered Iriomote wild cat lives only on Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture. It is a nocturnal animal, so it is rarely seen during the day, but warning signs have been put up. In the dark, they remind drivers of the most common places where these wild cats are found, which protects them from injury.
In the Hokkaido region, you can often see the sign "Beware of Cows" - there are farms nearby and the cattle roam freely - so they produce more milk, which is tastier than cows in pens. Hokkaido is a huge territory with a large network of roads, so there are many signs with symbols of cows at different angles.
