Searching for Japan's Giant Salamanders

Asia's giant salamanders are the largest amphibians on Earth. I went to Japan to see them up close, learn why they're disappearing, and meet the people working to save them. Huge thanks to Dr. Yuki Taguchi and Richard Pearce for sharing their story. Support their work below: Yuki: https://sites.google.com/site/yukitaguchijgs/lian-luo-xian?authuser=0 https://www.facebook.com/y.taguchi.jgs https://www.instagram.com/hadakasujgs https://www.threads.net/@hadakasujgs https://x.com/TaroJGS Mizuho Hanzake Nature Museum: http://www.ohtv.ne.jp/mizuho-hanzake/ https://x.com/hanzakeshizenka https://www.instagram.com/hanzakeshizenkan/ Richard: https://www.sustainabledaisen.org/en/home https://www.instagram.com/japanesegiantsalamanders/ https://www.facebook.com/japanesegiants Sources/Further Reading: Brazil - Japan: The Natural History of an Asian Archipelago: https://bit.ly/4tCCVoh DellaSala - Temperate and Boreal Rainforests of the World: https://bit.ly/4t0gppD Yoshikawa - From Colonial Science to the Genome Age: The Politics of Asian Giant Salamander Conservation: https://bit.ly/4tbsxE0 Totman - The Green Archipelago: https://tinyurl.com/y2u2zrcs Smithsonian - Scheuchzer: https://bit.ly/4ebaHMM UK - Cuvier: https://tinyurl.com/muw9mmf9 Stanlaw - Japan in the Ancient World: https://tinyurl.com/3tyazzc4 Britannica - China colonization: https://bit.ly/41m90EQ Britannica - Meiji Restoration: https://bit.ly/4dxfFTZ Natural Monument listing: https://bit.ly/4mjoh2V IUCN Red List - Japanese giant salamander: https://bit.ly/3OtSDmL Sasaki - Some Notes on the Giant Salamander of Japan: https://tinyurl.com/2rb7nahm Ishikawa - About Japan's Giant Salamanders: https://bit.ly/4t0gxW9 Liu - Amphibians of Western China: https://tinyurl.com/3ak7n2c8 Sato - Japanese Tailed Amphibians: https://bit.ly/3Oee631 Water chapter - History of Water Development in Japan: https://tinyurl.com/259trwcw Itsukushima - Historical development and present status of Japanese dams: https://tinyurl.com/ychn7e6m University of Queensland - flood control dams: https://tinyurl.com/4a37fy8c Britannica - Shinto: https://tinyurl.com/2zvrjebn Maps/Graphics: Asia: https://tinyurl.com/rdzbe38f Library of Congress: https://tinyurl.com/yx2ap3xw https://tinyurl.com/yc6k57j7 UBC - Edo in 1700: https://tinyurl.com/4yz3h4zv Land Bridges: https://tinyurl.com/3nc5cs9n Illustrations: Siebold: https://tinyurl.com/3uztu982 https://tinyurl.com/5a5zwbjj https://tinyurl.com/3xwy2k2b https://tinyurl.com/3zhwa8y9 https://tinyurl.com/53b3fcxp https://tinyurl.com/4mee5m3n https://tinyurl.com/mw6stcub https://tinyurl.com/5hfptpr8 https://tinyurl.com/2v767can https://tinyurl.com/hdkyehyr https://tinyurl.com/ye26hr32 https://tinyurl.com/ye22v6fu Crane: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhdjf7 Sea lion: https://tinyurl.com/3t3mx8by Puffin: https://tinyurl.com/yc2rebtr Tanuki: https://tinyurl.com/4add82mj Evans - Common Grey Wolf Canis Lupus Black bear: https://tinyurl.com/52r6v4ms Okinawa rail: https://tinyurl.com/yc7443jj Invasion of China: https://tinyurl.com/yc5wd8ph https://tinyurl.com/ynatp952 https://tinyurl.com/4fu38fsf https://tinyurl.com/4x2pezsm Flood: https://tinyurl.com/hbs8nte5 Akisato - Sanjō Great Bridge: https://tinyurl.com/35w2uc9j Kidder - Early Japanese art: https://tinyurl.com/mrxndw5z Dams: https://tinyurl.com/27t2fdwj https://tinyurl.com/rys5mxyf https://tinyurl.com/y8458hr7 Canal: https://tinyurl.com/3b2djy5j Utagawa: https://tinyurl.com/4mc4s78h Gadow - Amphibia and reptiles: https://tinyurl.com/3knk67a9 Kinmo-zui: https://tinyurl.com/5n76tu6v Skeleton: https://tinyurl.com/4un34bv2 Photos: Ishikawa: https://tinyurl.com/muv8btdc Documents: Cuvier - Discourse on the revolutions of the globe: https://tinyurl.com/mryn458p Sotara, Kanto, Masafumi, Masako - Morphological differentiation in giant salamanders, Andrias japonicus, A. davidianus, and their hybrids (Urodela, Cryptobranchidae), and its taxonomic implications: https://tinyurl.com/3au24dp4 Matsui, Masafumi & Kokuryo, Yasuhiro & Misawa, Yasuchika & Nishikawa, Kanto. (2004). A New Species of Salamander of the Genus Hynobius from Central Honshu, Japan (Amphibia, Urodela). Zoological science. 21. 661-9. 10.2108/zsj.21.661 Articles: Siebold: https://tinyurl.com/4dy4m6ry Japan bombs Shanghai: https://tinyurl.com/y2h52dxf Atomic bomb: https://tinyurl.com/mv9etp95 Dam removal: https://tinyurl.com/4t4wctbe 🎧 Sound effects I use for my videos: https://bit.ly/2WI2aJ7 📧 Contact Me: hello@aidinrobbins.com 📸 Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/aidinrobbins 0:00 - Extinction (Intro) 1:44 - Yuki 3:03 - Japan's Biogeography 5:55 - Habitat 7:12 - Richard 8:07 - Water 9:52 - Breeding 11:37 - History 14:13 - Scientists 16:45 - Wartime Science 19:21 - Hybrids 23:28 - Concrete 28:43 - Government 29:45 - Artificial Nest 31:47 - Extinction (reprise) 33:00 - Conservation 34:30 - Outro The links above are affiliate links, from which I gain a small monetary compensation when purchases are made. They help keep the lights on ;)