Japan1: Here there be Giants 1

 

 The Japanese Giant Salamander and Habitat Restoration Efforts 

Gianna Borelli 

    The Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) is a species native to parts of southern Japan. The salamander is most notable for its ability to grow upwards of five feet in length and live for approximately 70 years. Presently, this species is in decline due to a lack of proper habitat. The giant salamander prefers aerated waters with plenty of nooks to hide in. Most importantly, it requires muddy riverbanks in order to dig out a burrow for rearing juvenile salamanders.

 

    With the current landscape of rivers in Japan being built to include artificial concrete banks, in order to contain and guide rivers in a predictable manner, there is a need to transform available spaces into habitable zones. Moreover, there is an urgency to keep specific locations where giant salamanders live secret. This is done to protect the species from illegal pet sales and consumption by humans, which was done extensively in the past and has also contributed to their depleted population.  

    While traveling around the Japanese countryside, we were lucky enough to partner with a group working on revitalizing their giant salamander population. The project we assisted on was construction of a small pond directly off of the main river going through town. This pond would provide habitat for breeding and nesting giant salamanders as well as for other species, including, freshwater crabs, snakes, frogs, other salamanders, fish, water bugs, and many more.  

    The construction of the pond included three major steps. First we collected rocks and positioned them against the river bank. This step was intended to minimize erosion, so the pond wouldn’t join back with the main river. In this step we also created a rock dam at the downstream end of the future pond. Next we filled in between the cracks with mud, to more efficiently hold water. The last step was to plant native vegetation around the pond. This was intended to help hold the pond bank together against erosion, provide shade, food, and shelter for species encouraged to live there. 

     Unfortunately, this kind of restoration is rare due to the lack of funding for Japanese giant salamander protection. With the introduction of the Chinese giant salamander into Japan, there have been cases of hybridization. However, these hybrid salamanders are often larger and more vicious than either of their parental counterparts, and so this repopulation in an area lacking Chinese salamanders is ideal.

 

 

 

    While working with the restoration team, they shared a traditional story about the giant salamander I believe worth sharing: 

The legend of the Giant Salamander 

    Long ago in a small village, the people noticed their children were going missing. After searching for the reason, they concluded it was a giant salamander who had been eating their children. So they called upon a samurai hero to save their village. The samurai accepted their plea and went off to battle the giant salamander. In the end the samurai won and the salamander was slain. 

    However, after some time, the samurai’s family started dying of unexpected causes. They consulted a priest who said the slain giant salamander had turned into a demon and was seeking revenge for its death. The priest advised to create a shrine and offer gifts to the salamander's spirit. Once done, the spirit was purified and the samurai’s family was safe. Now, in some places a festival still occurs to honor the giant salamander and remember this story.