Saving the giant salamander

Ishikawa (left) and Nishikawa catching a giant salamander from the Kamo River in Kyoto, Japan.

IN Japanese rivers, if you’re very lucky, you might find unusual amphibians that grow up to 1.5m long and look like strange cartoon dinosaurs. They are giant salamanders.

“Salamanders are big, and they’re cool,” said Sena Ishikawa, a master’s student studying the animals at Kyoto University.