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Japanese Giant Salamanders
(Andrias japonicus)
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Asia Trail
Just beyond the Clint Fields Conservation Plaza on the lower loop of Asia Trail, look for a large glass aquarium set into the rocks on your left. What lurks within may look ugly or even scary, but have no fear—it's a Japanese giant salamander, and it's harmless to humans.

Japanese giant salamander
Japanese giant salamanders swim at the bottom of fast-moving streams. (Dave Jenike/Cincinnati Zoo)

When you think of a salamander, you probably picture a small animal about the size of a human finger. But the Japanese giant salamander lives up to its name, growing nearly five feet long and weighing about 55 pounds as an adult.

By day, this slimy predator hides in small caves or underneath large rocks, but at night, it plunges into the cold water of a swift-moving mountain stream to catch some dinner. It has tiny eyes and fairly poor vision, so it relies on vibrations in the water, touch, and smell to locate prey. It eats anything, from invertebrates such as worms to fish, other salamanders, and even mice.

Amphibians are among the first species to suffer harm when people disturb or destroy their habitats, which warns scientists that other animals might be affected, too. Japanese giant salamanders have no natural predators, but pollution and erosion are fouling their water, and their population declines indicate that their habitat needs protection before it's too late.

Get to Know Giant Salamanders

  • The IUCN lists Japanese giant salamanders as near-threatened.
  • Japanese giant salamanders live in cold mountain streams and rivers on Kyushu Island and western Honshu in Japan.
  • Japanese giant salamanders and Chinese giant salamanders are the two largest salamanders in the world. Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) have the largest body mass of all the salamanders in North America.
  • Mucus covers the bodies of giant salamanders and protects them from abrasions and parasites. When disturbed, the salamanders can also produce a smelly, sticky secretion.
  • A giant salamander absorbs oxygen through its skin. Loose folds of skin along its sides increase surface area to help it absorb even more oxygen.
  • Giant salamanders have sensory organs along their bodies and on their heads that can detect other animals in the water around them, which helps them hunt. Sharks have similar organs.
  • Giant salamanders' broad, flattened bodies are streamlined for swimming at the bottom of fast-moving water.

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ZooGoer 35(5) 2006. Copyright 2006 Friends of the National Zoo. All rights reserved.

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