Tokyo Salamander

Fascinating facts about the Tokyo Salamander

• Although the Tokyo salamander lives in temperate forests, springs, canals and even irrigated farmland, it is found nowhere outside Japan, making it a true endemic of the Japanese archipelago.
• Male Tokyo salamanders outnumber females by about three to two, a 1.5:1 sex ratio that mirrors the skewed balances seen in many other amphibian species.
• Raccoons, known locally as araiguma, have become a major predator, adding pressure to the salamander’s already fragile existence alongside the loss of its forest and wet-land habitats.
• The salamanders rely on paddy fields for breeding, but when those fields are drained in mid-summer, often before the juveniles finish metamorphosing, their survival chances drop sharply.

At a glance

About the Tokyo Salamander

The Tokyo salamander (Hynobius tokyoensis) is endemic to Japan and inhabits temperate forests, freshwater springs, arable land, irrigated land, canals and ditches, and is often found in paddy fields. It is threatened by habitat loss and raccoon predation, and its sex ratio is about 1.5 males per female. Mid-summer drainage of paddy fields can prevent larvae from completing metamorphosis.

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