Giant Salamander

Get to Know Giant Salamanders
The IUCN lists Japanese giant salamanders as near-threatened.
Japanese giant salamanders live in cold mountain streams and rivers on Kyushu Island and western Honshu in Japan.
Japanese giant salamanders and Chinese giant salamanders are the two largest salamanders in the world. Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) have the largest body mass of all the salamanders in North America.
Mucus covers the bodies of giant salamanders and protects them from abrasions and parasites. When disturbed, the salamanders can also produce a smelly, sticky secretion.
A giant salamander absorbs oxygen through its skin. Loose folds of skin along its sides increase surface area to help it absorb even more oxygen.
Giant salamanders have sensory organs along their bodies and on their heads that can detect other animals in the water around them, which helps them hunt. Sharks have similar organs.
Giant salamanders' broad, flattened bodies are streamlined for swimming at the bottom of fast-moving water.