#2005 · 🐸 amphibians
Japanese Giant Salamander
🇳🇱 Japanse reuzensalamander ·Andrias japonicus
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © ShiroHonjo · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © mande010 · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © mande010 · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. © muzina_shanghai · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 5. © Sebastian Voitel · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 6. © Sebastian Voitel · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 7. © muzina_shanghai · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 8. © arthurj · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. © Sebastian Voitel · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 10. © Joachim S. Müller · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
what is it?
The Japanese giant salamander ( Andrias japonicus ) is a species of salamander in the family Cryptobranchidae. The species is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Ōsanshōuo (オオサンショウウオ/大山椒魚), literally meaning "giant pepper fish". 5 m), it is the third-largest salamander in the world, only being surpassed by the very similar and closely related Chinese giant salamander ( A. davidianus ) and South China giant salamander ( A. sligoi ). There are currently only...
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
- 376 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1836 (190 years ago).
- Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
fact sheet
- English
- Japanese Giant Salamander
- Nederlands
- Japanse reuzensalamander
- scientific name
- Andrias japonicus
- class
- Amphibia
- order
- Caudata
- family
- Cryptobranchidae
- IUCN Red List
- VU · vulnerable
- sightings in NL
- 0
- sightings worldwide
- 376
- GBIF records in NL
- 0
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1836 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck
IUCN in Dutch: kwetsbaar. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 26811, Wikidata Q112045, GBIF 2432039, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.