Japanese giant salamander
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| Japanese giant salamander | |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Caudata |
| Family: | Cryptobranchidae |
| Genus: | Andrias |
| Species: | A. japonicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Andrias japonicus (Temminck, 1837) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Megalobatrachus japonicus (Reviewed by Sato 1943)[1] |
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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). With a length of up to almost 1.5 meters (5 ft),[2] it is the second largest salamander in the world, only being surpassed by the very similar and closely related Chinese giant salamander (A. davidianus).
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[edit] Behavior
The Japanese giant salamander, being restricted to streams with clear cool water, is entirely aquatic and nocturnal. It has a very poor eyesight, and possesses special sensory cells that are arranged on its skin, running from head to toe.This lineage is called the lateral line system. The sensory cells host hair like shapes that trace out the minimum amount of vibration in the environment, quite similar to what the hair inside our ear does. This skill is very important as well as of utmost significance to it because of its poor eyesight. It feeds mainly on insects, frogs and fish. As it has a very slow metabolism and 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.[2] In the wild they may live beyond 60 years old.
[edit] History
The Japanese giant salamander was first catalogued by Europeans when the resident physician of Dejima island in Nagasaki, Philipp Franz von Siebold captured an individual and shipped it back to Leiden, the Netherlands, in the 1820s.
[edit] Status
The Japanese giant salmander is threatened by pollution, habitat loss (among others by silting up of the rivers where it lives), and over-collecting. It is considered near threatened by IUCN, and is included on CITES Appendix I.[3] It can be found on the islands of Kyushu, Honshu, Shikoku in Japan.
[edit] Amphibian
Being an amphibian, the Japanese giant salamander is born as a larva, and then grows into its adult state. At the age of 6 the female can lay eggs.
[edit] References
- ^ Amphibian Species of the World - Andrias japonicus (Temminck, 1836)
- ^ a b Andrias japonicus - Amphibiaweb
- ^ Japanese giant salamander. ARKive. Accessed 2008-09-19
[edit] External links
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Wikispecies has information related to: Andrias japonicus |
Media related to Andrias japonicus at Wikimedia Commons- Andrias japonicus at CalPhotos
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