The Japanese otter (Japanese: ニホンカワウソ(日本川獺, Hepburn: Nihon-kawauso) (Lutra nippon ) or Japanese river otter is an extinct species of otter formerly widespread in Japan.
Show More Dating back to the 1880s, it was even seen in Tokyo. The population suddenly shrank in the 1930s, and the mammal nearly vanished. Since then, it has only been spotted several times, in 1964 in the Seto Inland Sea, and in the Uwa Sea in 1972 and 1973. The last official sighting was in the southern part of Kōchi Prefecture in 1979, when it was photographed in the mouth of the Shinjo River in Susaki. It was subsequently classified as a Critically Endangered species on the Japanese Red List. On August 28, 2012, the Japanese otter was officially declared extinct by the Ministry of the Environment. It is the official animal symbol of Ehime Prefecture.
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Native Japanese Animals
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Fully grown, a Japanese otter was between 65 and 80 cm (25.5 and 31.5 in) long, with a tail measuring 45 to 50 cm (17.5 to 19.5 in). It had a thick, lush coat of dark brown fur with short webbed feet. In addition the river otter has two types/sets of fur. Data has shown that the river otter would shed their under fur fully from May to August. After the shedding of the under fur, the otter shed their guard hair from August to November. This allowed them to adjust to the seasons changing. The otter had a lifespan of up to 25 years.
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A nocturnal creature, an otter only left its den after dark to forage for food. Claiming a territory about ten miles in diameter, it marked the area with its droppings about one to three miles apart and sets up three or four nests under rocks or inside bushes. The otters were always on the move, visiting each den only once every three to four days. They were considered an adult after only one year. They would then venture on their own, but continue in solitude unless ready to mate.
Like most otters, the Japanese otter was not an especially picky eater. While it primarily fed on fish, crab, and shrimp; it also ate eels, beetles, watermelons, and sweet potatoes. Many of these Japanese otters eat about 15% to 25% of their own body weight. Many otters spend around six hours to find food because of their difficult living space and their competition for food. The Japanese otter was known as one of the top carnivores in the aquatic food chain.
In general, the Japanese otter was ready to reproduce when they were two to three years old. In addition, the males sought out the females in the reproduction process. Besides during reproduction and with the exception of young males staying with their mother for a range of two to three years until they were mature, female otters and male otters did not generally live together. When a male otter calls out to a female otter, she must give him permission for the mating. If she does not, the male would move onto the next female otter. For the male to know that the female is interested in mating, the female will roll around with the male, which releases hormones. The Japanese river otter could have anywhere from one to six offspring per litter. Once born, the baby otters are completely blind for a month, leaving them utterly helpless. The female otter makes for a great mother; nursing her young for up to eight hours a day, as well as teaching them valuable lessons and protecting them. After the pups are around the age of four months, the mother otter will introduce her youth to solid food and start to teach them how to hunt.
Japanese Animals List, Facts, And Pictures
Ring-Tailed Lemur Lemur catta Western Gorilla Gorilla gorilla Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana Proboscis Monkey Nasalis larvatus Scarlet Macaw Ara macao Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Arctic Fox Vulpes lagopusAs endemic species of Japan that is protected under federal legislation. It is formally nominated as a special natural monument because of its cultural and educational significance.
The giant Japanese salamander is indeed quite large – reaching up to 1.5m in length and 25kg in weight. Which, together with its large mouth and rather strange features gives it a quite formidable presence.
They possess an amazing ability to burrow down in to the rocks of the river beds. Something they do head-first. And given their overall size really does make you wonder how they turn around down there. Because when they do re-emerge they are head-first…
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They are nocturnal creatures. And because they lose their gills when they are very young, they must interrupt their daytime slumbers to obtain air. Something they do by either rising to the surface to breath. Or, in highly oxygenated rapidly flowing water, they can absorb it through their skin.
Being in the water with these creatures is an interesting experience. But it is one that involves quite long periods of inactivity. Because while they slumber down in the river bed rocks, you must wait patiently on the surface…
They are also very well camouflaged. Their brown and black mottled skin allows them to blend in extremely well against the river bottom. Plus, they spend a significant amount of time burrowed in to the river bed. So you must actually know where to look for them in the first place – which means a guide is essential!
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Their small eyes, poor vision and nocturnal nature means that they are very sensitive to light. So there is no way to use strobe lighting without harming them and natural light is the only option.
And, being quite large animals, a wide-angle lens is the way to go. I personally used the versatile Tokina 10-17mm lens with my Nikon D500 and Nauticam housing.
They need to take air about every 30 minutes. And so the cycle I got in to during the time I spent with the salamanders was roughly 25 minutes of rock-watching. Followed by a few minutes of cautious movement as they first start to emerge from the river bed. Then about a minute of hurried activity when they rise to the surface. Take their air and return from where they came!
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If you are patient and have a touch of luck you may encounter one of the salamanders out in the open. If you do, then all of your stalking skills will be required to approach them. Taking your time can get you close enough for some nice close-ups of these most interesting creatures!
The first thing you will need if you want to see a giant Japanese salamander is a guide. Because without one your chances are almost zero… Not only that, they live in rivers in rural Japan where almost nobody speaks any English. Or any other language come to that and so you need a Japanese guide!
For my trip I was very fortunate to be helped by my diving buddy Martin. Who lives in Tokyo and is fluent in Japanese having grown up with an American father and a Japanese mother. Martin put me in touch with Yoshihiro Ito, who is the Japanese “salamander whisperer”. He is also one of the nicest people you could hope to meet!
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Ito san turned a life-long obsession with the wildlife of Japan in to his full-time occupation. Giving up a good job as a sales manager in the process!
You will need to get to the city of Gifu, the capital of Gifu Prefecture in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Which requires a journey of about two hours on the excellent Shinkansen bullet train from Shinagawa in downtown Tokyo.
Ito san met us at Gifu station and then drove us up in to the mountains to the small village of Wara.Once kitted up in dry suits he then guided us to the best spots in the river to see the giant Japanese salamander. And so began our routines of rock-watching followed by a few minutes of intense activity as the salamanders came up for air!
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For me the opportunity to stay in a local Ryokan style country inn was nearly as good as the experience with the salamanders…
It has been on my “to do” list for many years. But as my Japanese is limited to asking for a beer and saying thank you, it was just too hard to do. But traveling with Martin and Ito san made it all happen!
We ate Japanese style in the inn’s dining room with other travelers who were passing through the area and it was just great.
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The very best time to see the Japanese giant salamanders is during their mating season in late August. This is when the sexually mature adults migrate
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