Japanese giant salamander
| Japanese giant salamander | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Caudata |
| Family: | Cryptobranchidae |
| Genus: | Andrias |
| Species: | A. japonicus |
| Binomial name | |
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Andrias japonicus (Temminck, 1837) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Megalobatrachus japonicus (Reviewed by Sato 1943) |
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Megalobatrachus japonicus (Reviewed by Sato 1943)
The Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Ōsanshōuo (オオサンショウウオ/大山椒魚?), literally meaning "giant pepper fish". With a length of up to almost 1.5 m (5 ft), it is the second-largest salamander in the world, only being surpassed by the very similar and closely related Chinese giant salamander (A. davidianus). There are only three known members of the Cryptobranchidae family: the Japanese and Chinese giant salamanders and the Eastern hellbender.
Japanese giant salamanders are widespread across rivers in southwestern Japan. The species frequently hybridizes with Chinese giant salamanders, which were introduced to the area.
Japanese Giant Salamanders can grow to be five feet long (160 cm) and 55 pounds (25 kg). It is the second largest amphibian in the world, only next to its close relative, the Chinese Giant Salamander. Their brown and black mottled skin provides camouflage against the bottoms of streams and rivers. They have very small eyes and poor vision. Their mouths run across the width of their heads, and can open to the width of their bodies.
The Japanese giant salamander, being restricted to streams with clear, cool water, is entirely aquatic and nocturnal. Unlike other salamanders, which lose their gills early in their lifecycles, they only breach their heads above the surface to obtain air without venturing out of the water and onto land. Also due to their large size and lack of gills, they are confined to flowing water where oxygen is abundant. The salamander absorbs oxygen through its skin, which has many folds to increase surface area. When threatened, these salamanders can excrete a strong-smelling, milky substance with an odor resembling Japanese pepper (hence its common Japanese name, giant pepper fish). It has very poor eyesight, and possesses special sensory cells covering its skin, running from head to toe, the lateral line system. These sensory cells' hair-like shapes detect minute vibrations in the environment, and are quite similar to the hair cells of the human inner ear. This feature is essential for its hunting because of its poor eyesight. It feeds mainly on insects, frogs and fish. It has a very slow metabolism and can sometimes go for weeks without eating. It lacks natural competitors. It is a long-lived species, with the captive record being an individual that lived in the Natura Artis Magistra, the Netherlands, for 52 years. In the wild, they may live for nearly 80 years.
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Wikipedia