Miracle from Asia: 7 interesting facts about the Japanese giant salamander

Do you like curiosities? So, you will definitely like this giant amphibian from the Land of the Rising Sun! This is a very strange animal… 

The Japanese giant salamander is one of the largest salamanders in the world, capable of reaching 160 cm in length and weighing up to 35 kg. These animals live only on the Japanese islands, and were first described and catalogued in 1820.

The Japanese giant salamander leads a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle, lives only in water - these are cold mountain rivers and streams. He prefers to sleep during the day.

The Japanese giant salamander is almost identical to another species — the Chinese giant salamander (living in the central part of Eastern China): these creatures can freely interbreed and almost do not differ in their external structure. Some experts refer them to subspecies of the same species.

The salamander feeds on frogs, fish, crustaceans and insects. However, if she can't find a meal, the salamander can go without food for weeks due to a slow metabolism.

Japanese salamanders (like Chinese ones) have the ability to regenerate.

The good news is that the venom of the Japanese giant salamander does not pose a serious danger to humans.

The meat of the Japanese giant salamander is suitable for food and is even considered a delicacy. For this reason, the conservation status of this animal is in a state close to threatened.