Giant salamander found walking along road in Kyoto

Tuesday 30th June, 03:05 PM JST

KYOTO —

A 105-centimeter-long giant salamander was found walking along a riverside road in Kyoto by a motorist Tuesday and was temporarily taken into protective custody by police. According to police, a man driving his car along the Kamogawa River that flows through the city spotted the salamander at around 5:50 a.m. and dialed the 110 emergency phone number to summon police, who rushed to the scene. The huge aquatic salamander was then brought to a police station in Kita Ward and held there for several hours in a water tub before being released into a branch of the same river. Kyoto University professor Masafumi Matsui told Kyodo News he was concerned to learn that the giant salamander in question, which resembles a hybrid, was released without proper examination and into a different waterway from the main course of the river along which it was found. The Kamogawa River, the amphibian expert explained, has a serious problem with hybridization between Japanese and Chinese giant salamanders, and there is concern the problem could spread to other habitats in Japan.

In March, Matsui proposed to relevant authorities that a system be put in place to prevent just what happened Tuesday. Any animals found should be identified by experts prior to release, he said. The Japanese giant salamander, which can reach more than 150 cm in length and weigh over 20 kilograms, is highly protected species in Japan where it is designated as a ‘‘special natural monument.’’ The river-dwelling amphibians are entirely aquatic. But on rare occasions they may leave the water to circumvent manmade obstacles built in the river that prevent them from moving upstream, either to breed or after being washed downstream by heavy rain. There have even been cases in which the animals have been hit by cars and killed. Asiatic giant salamanders are the world’s largest amphibians. The Japanese species can be found in cool streams and rivers in central and western Honshu, as well as in parts of Kyushu and Shikoku islands, while the slightly larger Chinese species inhabits central China. A much smaller relative, the hellbender, lives in the eastern United States.

Kyodo

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Latest 15 of 35 Total Comments Show All

easychord2 at 11:54 PM JST - 30th June

I can't believe the J-Cops actually caught something.
OssanAmerica at 12:19 AM JST - 1st July

My mother in law was in Kyoto yesterday...

in new york they probably would have just shot it.

Actually in NY State police officers can not shoot any wild animal of any kind, the only exception being rabid creatures or those otherwise posing an immediate threat to humans. Even attempted captures are under the authority and presence of the NYS Dept of Conservation (DEP) officers.
Badge213 at 12:24 AM JST - 1st July

I'd like to see a photo of that!
kanadamanada at 12:31 AM JST - 1st July

There was no evidence of hybridisation. You cannot hybridise two subspecies, anway, you can only mix them This guy saw an opportunity to get his name and cause in the papers. Well, it worked. DNA evidence of true hybridisation cannot be detected after 20 or so generations of matings with one of the parent species.

BEE BOOB BOOP! She blinded me, with SCIENCE!!!
Azrael at 01:01 AM JST - 1st July

This is what Japanese giant salamanders look like:

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2009/01/brady-barr.html

The alternate text (left click, image properties) says it is a Japanese giant salamander.
Nessie at 02:21 AM JST - 1st July

Thanks, Az. Hisashiburi, ne?
Nessie at 02:23 AM JST - 1st July

This and the nihon kamoshika are the two animals I'd most like to seen in Japan.
ichinensei at 02:48 AM JST - 1st July

Godzilla
30061015 at 03:08 AM JST - 1st July

Godzilla

No, just Babezilla and Godzilla is pissed off at the J cops for messing with his kodomo dragon.
amerijap at 04:39 AM JST - 1st July

A salamander is really tiny like a small tropical frog, and usually smaller than a newt. The one I saw in the Denver Zoo is just 5-6 inches in its body length. 34-foot salamander is quite unusual for its size, but it's still much smaller than a baby alligator or a python. But it’s not as scary as a giant lizard or a komodo dragon.

Did it run away from a local aquarium or zoo?
Azrael at 11:06 PM JST - 1st July

You're welcome, Nessie.
MissouriUSA at 04:59 AM JST - 4th July

Can they be broiled like an eel? --just kidding-a photo would have been cool!
boboh at 09:18 AM JST - 4th July

Surprised it didn`t end up on a plate, like every other lving thing in Japan.
Crimsonsil at 11:58 AM JST - 4th July

>

34-foot salamander is quite unusual for its size, but it's still much smaller than a baby alligator or a python. But it’s not as scary as a giant lizard or a komodo dragon.

remind me never to visit your area, without an army anyway.
amerijap at 07:59 AM JST - 7th July

Nah, I've never been to the swamps in the southeast Louisiana or the everglades in the south Florida. But, I saw grotesque reptiles at the Denver Zoo six weeks ago. Yep, they are really creepy.