Japanese giant salamander(lat. Andrias japonicus) belongs to the family of Cryptobranchidae and lives on the southern islands of the Japanese archipelago, representing an amazing creature in all respects.
This species has existed for more than 140 million years. For its resemblance to extinct prehistoric amphibians, the gigantic salamander is sometimes called a living fossil. Outwardly, it seems thick and clumsy, but in fact it is a very dexterous, strong and fast predator, reaching a length of 140 cm.
The gigantic salamander is facing complete extinction due to the Japanese's addiction to its meat, which they consider an exquisite delicacy. Fortunately, since 1951 the Japanese salamander has been placed under state protection, and in last years farms appeared in Japan where they began to breed it, which gives hope for the revival of this species.
The Japanese giant salamander is the closest relative of the Chinese giant salamander (Latin: Andras davidianus), differing from the latter in its smaller size and weight, as well as the location of the tubercles on the head.
Lifestyle
The amphibian has adapted well to life in conditions temperate climate. It is most often found in fast mountain streams no more than 1 m wide, but it also feels great in deeper streams.
The salamander makes its nests along river banks overgrown with dense bushes and under tree branches hanging over the water. She fastens the walls of the nest with strong reinforcement from small tree roots and spends almost all her time in it, going out only at night or on cloudy rainy days and leading a solitary lifestyle.
The nest usually consists of a narrow corridor 2-3 m long and no more than 10 cm in diameter. The corridor ends with a nesting chamber with an area of about 1-1.5 square meters. m. Usually the nests have two holes for the through flow of water.
It is extremely rare for 2-3 representatives of this ancient species to settle nearby. Such a neighborhood is very unsafe; sooner or later the largest individual eats its smaller relatives.
The unpretentious salamander often feeds only on what water itself brings to its nest, and can even go without food for several months. Her menu includes small fish, insects, slugs, earthworms, as well as dead frogs and freshwater crabs.
The period of greatest activity of the Japanese salamander occurs in warm time of the year. At this time, she wanders not far from her rookery, diligently eating the living creatures she encounters on her way. At the beginning of autumn, she prepares a nest in which she spends the cold autumn and winter months, falling into deep hibernation and awakening only with the arrival of spring.
The giant salamander does not like sunlight, so when moving during the day it always stays in the shade. In the event of severe floods, it is often washed out of its home and carried into irrigation ditches to the delight of Japanese peasants, who happily catch it in anticipation of a delicacy despite the formidable government prohibitions.
Reproduction
During the mating season, the male goes in search of a female and, having found her, leads her to his hole. If she likes the dwelling, then she lays 500-600 eggs in it. The eggs of the Japanese salamander are laid in long gelatinous ribbons and have a diameter of no more than 5 mm.
After laying eggs, the female leaves the hole and the male is exclusively concerned with caring for the future offspring. Incubation lasts about 10 weeks. During this time, the child-loving father carefully collects the eggs into a spherical lump, providing them with a flow of fresh water and protecting them from voracious predators.
Salamander larvae are born about 2.5 cm long. Soon they leave the nest and the male loses all interest in them. Within three years, the larvae grow up to 20 cm and turn into adults. They reach sexual maturity at the age of 5-6 years with a body length of about 55-60 cm.
Description
Adult Japanese giant salamanders grow throughout their lives and can reach a body length of up to 140 cm with a weight of about 23-24 kg . The physique is muscular and dense. On the sides of the body there are skin folds that increase the absorption area of atmospheric oxygen.
The large head is flattened in the dorso-ventral direction. The eyes are small and lack eyelids. At the tip of the muzzle, above the upper lip, there are small external nostrils. The mouth is very wide and extends far beyond the eyes.
The back of the tail is strongly flattened laterally. Thick short legs are widely spaced on the sides of the body. The forelimbs have four toes, the hind limbs have five.
IN natural conditions The Japanese giant salamander lives up to 80 years, and in domestic animals up to 50 years.
Japan is home to unusual huge creatures, which are the largest tailed amphibians in the world. The giant salamander comes in two subspecies (Chinese and Japanese), which are very similar to each other and can mate freely with each other. Both species are listed in the International Red Book and are currently on the verge of complete extinction, therefore they are strictly protected by various international organizations.
Appearance
Doesn't look very attractive giant Description its appearance suggests that it has a body completely covered in mucus and a large head that is flattened on top. Its long tail, on the contrary, is laterally compressed, and its paws are short and thick. The nostrils located at the end of the muzzle are too close together. The eyes are somewhat beady and lack eyelids.
The giant salamander has warty skin with fringes on the sides, making the outlines of the animal appear even more blurry. Top part The amphibian's body is dark brown in color with grayish streaks and black shapeless spots. Such a discreet color allows it to be completely invisible at the bottom of the reservoir, as it camouflages the animal well among various items underwater world.
This amphibian is simply amazing with its size. The length of its body, including its tail, can reach 165 centimeters, and its weight can reach 26 kilograms. She has great physical strength and can be dangerous if she senses an enemy approaching.
Where does he live?
The Japanese species of these animals inhabits the western part of Hondo Island, and is also common in the north of Gifu. In addition, it lives throughout the island. Shikoku and O. Kyushu. Chinese giant salamander lives in the south of Guangxi Province and Shaanxi.
The habitat for these are mountain rivers and streams with clean and cool water, located at an altitude of about five hundred meters.
Lifestyle and behavior
These animals show their activity exclusively in dark time days, and during the day they sleep in some secluded places. At dusk they go out hunting. They usually choose a variety of insects, small amphibians, fish and crustaceans as their food.
They move along the bottom with the help of their short paws, but if there is a need for sharp acceleration, then they also connect the tail. The giant salamander usually moves against the current, as this can allow for better breathing. It emerges from the water onto the shore in very rare cases and mainly after spills caused by heavy rains. The animal spends a lot of its time in various burrows, large recesses formed among underwater rocks, or in tree trunks and snags that have sunk and ended up at the bottom of the river.
The Japanese salamander, as well as the Chinese one, have poor eyesight, but this does not prevent them from adapting remarkably well and orienting themselves in space, since they are endowed by nature with a wonderful sense of smell.
Molting of these amphibians occurs several times a year. The old loose skin completely slides off the entire surface of the body. The small shreds and flakes produced in this process can be partially eaten by the animal. During this period, which lasts several days, they make frequent movements reminiscent of vibration. In this way, amphibians wash off all remaining areas of shed skin.
The giant salamander is considered a territorial amphibian, so it is not uncommon for small males to be destroyed by their larger counterparts. But, in principle, these animals are not overly aggressive and only in case of danger can they secrete a sticky secretion that has a milky color and somewhat resembles the smell of Japanese pepper.
Reproduction
This animal usually mates between August and September, after which the female lays her eggs in a dug hole under the shore at a depth of three meters. These eggs have a diameter of approximately 7 mm, and there are several hundred of them. They ripen in about sixty days at a water temperature of twelve degrees Celsius.
Having just emerged, the larvae are only 30 mm long, have the rudiments of limbs and a large tail. These amphibians do not come onto land until they reach the age of one and a half years, when their lungs are already fully formed and they reach sexual maturity. Until this time, the giant salamander is constantly under water.
Nutrition
Metabolic processes in the body of these tailed amphibians proceed very slowly, so they can go without any food for many days and are capable of prolonged fasting. When they have a need for food, they go out hunting and catch their prey in one sharp movement with their mouths wide open, which creates a pressure difference effect. Thus, the victim is safely directed into the stomach along with the flow of water.
Giant salamanders are considered carnivores. In captivity, there were even cases of cannibalism, that is, eating their own kind.
This rare amphibian has very delicious meat, which is considered a real delicacy. Also widely used in folk medicine giant salamander. Interesting Facts It is said about this animal that drugs made from it can prevent diseases of the digestive tract, treat consumption, and also help with bruises and various blood diseases. Therefore, this creature, which survived the dinosaurs and adapted to all changes in life and climatic conditions on Earth, is currently on the verge of extinction due to human intervention.
Nowadays, this species of tailed amphibians is under strict supervision and is bred on farms. But create natural environment habitat for these animals is extremely difficult. Therefore, deep-water flowing channels were built especially for them in nurseries designed for this purpose. However, in captivity, unfortunately, they do not grow so large.
The Chinese giant salamander (lat. Andrias davidianus) is the largest amphibian and tailed amphibian on our planet. The body length of this rare animal can reach 180 cm and weight 70 kg. In 2014, three dozen babies were born at the Prague Zoo. Prior to this, only 5 individuals lived in the United States in the zoos of Atlanta, Cincinnati and St. Louis and 4 more in Rotterdam and Dresden.
The largest Chinese salamander living in captivity is the male Carlo.
Now he lives in Prague. He is approximately 40 years old. He weighs more than 35 kg, has already grown to 160 cm and continues to grow further. His fellow tribesmen Schmitz and Natalie keep him company. If his health does not fail, then in a few years he will be able to break the record that belonged to the deceased amphibian from the Chinese province of Hunan. The record holder was 180 cm in length and 65 kg of live weight.
Spreading
The species Andrias davidianus is distributed in the western and southwestern regions of China. Largest relict populations live in the provinces of Sichuan, Guangdong, Qinghai, Jiangsu and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
They inhabit cold water bodies in mountainous areas at altitudes from 100 to 1500 m above sea level. Most often found in streams and small rivers, slightly less often in lakes and ponds. In Qinghai province there is an isolated population at an altitude of 4200 m.
Amphibians prefer clean running water and natural depressions at the bottom of reservoirs, used as shelters. The most attractive conditions for them are found in the basins of the Yellow, Yangtze and Pearl rivers.
Amphibians were introduced to Taiwan and Japan (Kyoto Prefecture), where they produced hybrid offspring with. They differ from local animals by having a less rounded muzzle, darker coloring and a slightly larger tail.
Behavior
Chinese salamanders feed mainly on insects, crustaceans, snails, worms and other small species of tailed and tailless amphibians. On occasion, they love to feast on small fish and do not disdain carrion. Due to their slowness, they swim slowly, so they often move along the bottom on their four limbs. Hiding near the stones, they patiently wait for prey swimming directly into their wide mouth.
In their stomachs, undigested remains of water shrews (Chimarrogale styani) were also found, possibly accidentally ingested for their lunch. Cannibalism flourishes among them. Adults actively eat the younger generation.
Representatives of this species have poor eyesight, so when hunting they rely on a special sensory organ located on the sides along the entire body from head to tail and detecting the slightest vibrations in aquatic environment.
Activity manifests itself with the onset of twilight and until approximately midnight; during the day, this creature sleeps sweetly in its shelter. Appetite is greatly reduced at temperatures above 20°C, and at 28°C feeding stops completely.
A temperature of 35°C is fatal.
Each animal has its own home area. Males occupy about 40, and females 30 square meters area. They protect their lands and do not allow strangers into them.
Reproduction
Chinese giant salamanders become sexually mature at about the tenth year of life, but under favorable conditions, sometimes at the age of 5 years after reaching a body length of 40-50 cm. Mating season runs from July to September, when the water warms up to 20°C. Every year, amphibians choose a new place to procreate.
Males leave their shelters first and go in search of a suitable area for spawning, which consists of underwater holes, a pile of stones and sand at the bottom. Large individuals drive out their young competitors and occupy the best spawning grounds.
After a few days, the females arrive. Gallant gentlemen circle around them for a long time and lure them into their nest. Usually it is located in a natural depression. In it, the female lays two egg cords, each of which contains up to 500 eggs with a diameter of 7-8 mm. The male fertilizes them, after which the pair breaks up. The female can lay eggs in several more places and return home with a sense of accomplishment.
Males remain near the clutch and vigilantly guard it from voracious cannibal fellow tribesmen, fish and predators.
The larvae, about 30 mm long, hatch after two months and immediately begin to feed heavily. The happy father, having waited for the birth of his offspring, sails away.
When the larvae grow to 250 mm, their gills begin to disappear. Metamorphosis takes place entirely in the aquatic environment, but juveniles can periodically climb to the shore.
There are many farms in China where giant salamanders are raised. Most of the specimens living on them were caught young in wildlife, and not born in captivity. In 2011, according to official data, about 2.6 million giant amphibians were raised in Shaanxi province alone in the Qinling mountain range. This is a huge number, considering that in the wild the local population does not exceed 50 thousand individuals.
The bulk of the livestock is intended for consumption. A minority of the grown-up creatures are released into the wild and sent to processing plants to obtain medicinal potions used in folk medicine mainly for the treatment of anemia. For the release of their pets, farmers receive monetary compensation from the state.
In the 50-60s of the last century, the species was at the stage of complete destruction due to the destruction of its natural habitat and mass famine in China. Poaching became one of the main opportunities for peasants to escape from starvation.
The state program for the protection of giant salamanders appeared only in the 80s. To preserve them, 14 reservations were created, but poaching in them does not stop to this day. The fine for a killed animal is about 50 yuan, while at the same time, restaurants buy its meat from poachers for 2000-2500 yuan per 1 kg. It is considered in the Celestial Empire an exquisite delicacy that improves health and prolongs life, so moneybags are willing to pay any money for it.
Farmed amphibians often get sick and are susceptible to infectious diseases. They are valued much lower and are not in such great demand as their wild counterparts.
Description
The average body length of adults reaches 100 cm. Very smooth skin is dark brown, greenish-brown or black-brown. The back is covered with large and small dark spots. The abdomen is lighter, light gray, with black spots.
In the head area there are characteristic swellings located in pairs. The nostrils are small and almost invisible. On the sides of the massive and large head there are small round eyes without eyelids. The mouth occupies almost half of it.
The front and hind legs are short and have 4 toes. They are connected to each other by a swimming membrane. There are horny commissures at the ends of the fingers.
The Chinese giant salamander lives up to 60 years in captivity. Life expectancy in natural conditions unknown.
The largest salamander in the world reaches a length of 1.5−1.8 m. Its weight is about 60−65 kilograms. This amazing animal is found in the reservoirs of Japan and China. It is impossible to say exactly how long these magnificent creatures live, since in their natural habitat their age can reach five decades. Researchers suggest that the gigantic salamander can be 2-3 times its standard weight and size.
There are two main types: the Japanese giant salamander and the Chinese. They belong to the cryptobranch family. External differences occur only in the location of growths on the head.
Animals have rather undeveloped vision. That is why they feed on various small living creatures such as frogs and fish, determining their location solely using their sense of smell. In addition, the animal has a slow metabolism, which allows it to not feel the need for food for a long time.
Scientists suggest that the salamander could have existed back in the time of dinosaurs. But on this moment the species is in danger of extinction due to massive hunting of animals and excessive pollution environment, in which these magnificent salamanders are accustomed to exist. Local residents actively destroy animals in order to feast on delicious meat. At the same time, they do not understand how beautiful a creature they are depriving of life. Because of this, the giant salamander is reducing its population. For this reason, it was listed in the Red Book.
The Legend of the Dinosaur
According to local old-timers, this impressive-sized specimen seems like a mere tadpole compared to the salamanders that were once found in the area around the city.
A 17th-century legend tells of a salamander, or, in local terms, khanzaki, 10 meters long, which ruled the roads and ate horses and cows.
Then a hero named Mitsui Hikoshiro was found, who allowed the dragon to swallow himself along with his faithful sword, which he used, killing the monster.
But it turned out that the dragon had cast a spell on the city. There was a crop failure, people began to die strange death, the hero himself died.
Very soon, the townspeople realized that the spirit of the dragon was roaming the country, and they erected a temple in the city, in which the Khanzaks began to make sacrifices.
However, scientists have their own interest in amphibians. Firstly, this is a surprisingly archaic creature that rightfully claims to be a living fossil. Moreover, this salamander turned out to be surprisingly resistant to the effects of the chytrid fungus, which has killed many amphibians from Australia to the Andes.
People flock to the scientific center in the city of Maniwa, 800 km west of Tokyo, to see the unique amphibian.
We are talking about a giant salamander, which is almost 1.7 meters long.
Japanese giant salamander (lat. Andrias japonicus) By appearance resembles another species - the Chinese giant salamander (lat. Andras davidianus), and differs only in the location of the tubercles on the head. The average body length is more than 1 meter, it can reach a length of up to 1.44 meters and a weight of up to 25 kg.
Gigantic salamanders have a large flattened head with eyes devoid of eyelids, a body with a noticeable glenoacetobular (between the limbs of one side of the body) skin fold and tuberculate skin, a paddle-shaped tail compressed from the sides, short and thick limbs with four toes on the front paws and five on the rear
The size and appearance of the skeleton of a gigantic salamander from the Miocene deposits of Germany so struck the imagination of the Viennese physician A. Scheichzer that in 1724 he described it as Homo diluvitestis (“man - witness of the global flood”), apparently deciding that the skeletal materials were all that remains of the biblical hero who failed to escape on Noah's Ark. Only Georges Cuvier, the famous zoologist at the turn of the XYII and XYIII centuries, classified this “man” as an amphibian.
The Japanese giant salamander lives in cold mountain rivers and streams with fast current, spending the day under washed-out shores or large rocks in the western part of the island of Honshu (north of Gifu Prefecture) and on the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu (Oita Prefecture), choosing altitudes from 300 to 1000 m above sea level. Adults tolerate relatively well low temperatures. For example, a case is described when a gigantic salamander calmly survived the drop in water temperature to zero in January 1838. In the aquarium of the Moscow Zoo, even a crust of ice appeared on the water surface during cold nights.
The giant salamander is active at dusk and at night, when it crawls out to hunt. It feeds on small fish and amphibians, crustaceans and insects. It is also capable of long-term fasting - there are cases when in captivity salamanders did not feed for two months without visible harm to themselves.
The gigantic salamander can both seek out prey, navigating by sense of smell, and lie in wait for it, hiding, and grab it with a sharp movement of its head to the side. In captivity, cases of cannibalism (eating their own kind) have been reported.
Under natural conditions, at a depth of 1 - 3 m in a coastal underwater burrow in August - September, the female lays several hundred eggs with a diameter of 6 - 7 mm in the form of beads or beads. The male, showing care for the offspring in a specific way, protects the clutch and, with movements of his tail, creates a flow of water around it, thus increasing the aeration of the eggs. At a water temperature of 12 - 13 ° C, egg development lasts 2 - 2.5 months.
The gills disappear in the larvae probably after a year (according to other sources, in the third year of life), when their body length reaches 20 cm. In summer, adults molt almost monthly.
The meat of giant salamanders has gastronomic significance. At the beginning and middle of the last century, in the markets of the cities of Osako and Kyoto, local residents sold medium-sized salamanders for 12 - 24 guilders. At the same time, Chinese and Japanese doctors advised the use of boiled meat and broth from giant salamanders as an anti-infective agent in the treatment of consumption and diseases of the digestive system. However, due to the rarity of the animal, even then “medicines” from it cost a lot of money. As a result of overfishing, giant salamanders are now protected: they are included in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and in Appendix II of the International Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITEC). The catch of the Japanese salamander from nature is extremely limited, although it is quite successfully bred on Japanese farms.
A stuffed Japanese giant salamander in an open-air museum.
Salamanders have poor eyesight; they rely on other senses to determine their position in space and the position of other objects.
The maximum recorded lifespan of the giant salamander is 55 years.
This type of salamander is also capable of regenerating, which is often noted in this genus of amphibians.
Living fossils
"The skeleton of this creature is almost identical to fossil remains that are 30 million years old," says Takeyoshi Tohimoto, director of the Hanzaki Institute near Hyogo.
Hanzaki salamander (Andriasjaponicus) has only two modern related species - this Chinese giant salamander (A. Davidianus ) , which is so close to the Japanese that it can interbreed with it, and the much smaller salamander Cryptobranchus alleganiensis , native to the southeastern United States.
Chinese giant salamander (A. Davidianus)
Salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)
"They are considered very primitive creatures, partly due to the fact that they are the only salamanders that reproduce external fertilization, like fish," says Don Church, an amphibian specialist at Conservation International.
Typically, these salamanders sit quietly under the river bank or hide in the leaves, waiting for prey to appear, which they grab with their powerful jaws.
A feat worthy of a great warrior
When the chytrid fungus appeared in Asia ten years ago, no one could have imagined that Japanese salamanders were to blame.
But last year a group of researchers from the Institute environmental problems Japan, headed by Koichi Goka, published an article from which it followed that this fungus settled exclusively on the skin of giant salamanders, which did not suffer from it in any way.
This discovery could help study the biology of this fungus, which kills millions of amphibians around the world.
It turned out that bacteria live on the skin of Japanese salamanders that can resist the peptides secreted by the fungus.
If, on this basis, it is possible to isolate substances that can reproduce this effect, scientists will be able to obtain a universal antifungal agent that will save millions of frogs and toads.
And this will be a feat worthy of heroism Japanese warrior Mitsui Hikoshiro.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Chordates
Class: Amphibians
Squad: Tailed amphibians
Family: Cryptobranchidae (lat. Cryptobranchidae)
Genus: Andrias
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