Japanese Giant Salamander

Japanese Giant Salamander (Andrias japonicus) is a fully aquatic giant salamander reaching about 1.5 metres, with a broad flattened head, wrinkled skin and laterally compressed tail. Identification should combine body proportions, colour, skin texture and locality because closely related Japanese salamanders can be difficult to separate. Claims are limited to species accounts opened for this batch (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is endemic to Japan and occurs mainly in western Honshu, with smaller populations on Shikoku and northern Kyushu, living in flowing freshwater. Information absent from those species-level sources is omitted rather than transferred from relatives. Japanese occurrence follows the catalogue and opened distribution account, without relying on IUCN conservation material (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).