Outwardly, Salamander resembles a huge lizard, being her “relative”. This is the classic endemic of the Japanese islands, that is, in the wild, it lives only there. This species is one of the largest salamander on Earth.
Description of the species
This type of Salamander was opened in the 18th century. In 1820, it was first discovered and described by a German scientist named Zibold during his scientific activity in Japan. The body length of the animal reaches one and a half meters along with the tail. The mass of adult salamandra is about 35 kilograms.
The shape of the animal body does not differ in grace, as, for example, in lizards. It is slightly flattened, characterized by a large head and tailspinning in a vertical plane. Little Salamander and “adolescents” have gills that disappear when puberty reaches.
Salamander has a very slow metabolism. This circumstance allows her to do without food for a long time, as well as survive in the conditions of an insufficient feed base. Weak vision led to increased sensory organs. Gigantic salamanders have a sharp hearing and a good sense of smell.
Another interesting feature of Salamander is the ability to regenerate tissues. This term is understood as the restoration of tissues and even entire organs, if they were lost for any reason. The most striking and familiar example is to grow a new tail in lizards in return that they easily and voluntarily leave when trying to catch them.
Lifestyle
This type of Salamander lives exclusively in water and shows activity at night. For a comfortable habitat, the animal is necessary, so salamanders often settle in quick mountain streams and rivers. The water temperature is also important the lower, the better.
Salamander nutrition is fish and various crustaceans. In addition, she often eats small amphibians and water insects.
The gigantic salamander lays small eggs, up to 7 millimeters with a diameter. As a “nest”, a special hole is used, digging at a depth of 1-3 meters. In one masonry, as a rule, several hundred eggs that need constant updating of the surrounding water environment. The male, who periodically disperses water in the masonry area, is responsible for creating an artificial current.
Egg ripening occurs almost a month and a half. The small salamanders who were born are larvae of no more than 30 millimeters long. They breathe through the gills and are able to move independently.
Salamander and man
Despite the unpretentious appearance, this type of Salamander has food value. Salamander meat is distinguished by tenderness and pleasant taste. It is actively consumed by the inhabitants of Japan, being considered a delicacy.
As usual, uncontrolled hunting for these animals has led to a sharp reduction in their number and today the salamanders “for food” are grown on special farms. In wild, the population causes fears. The International Union of Nature Protection assigned the status of “who is in a state close to the threatened”. This means that in the absence of measures to support and create optimal living conditions, salamanders may begin to die out.
Today, the number of salamander is not large, but quite stable. They live off the coast of the Japanese island of Honsu, as well as near the islands of Sikoku and Kyusu.
