Not entirely sure where to put this thread, but I thought it might be interesting to share some bits and bats about Japan's flora and fauna I've come across.
大山椒魚 Oosanshouuo
It's up to two meters long, has been around unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs and, according to some, smells a bit like rhubarb. It is of course, the Giant Salamander; a creature that has become something of a curio both in Japan and abroad. Covered in warts and able to deliver a seriously nasty bite, it's rather at odds with Japan's 'cute' culture, and perhaps unsurprisingly, until recently has been largely ignored as the poster boy of conservation.
Threatened by pollution, silting and poaching, the Oosanshouuo is now considered a vulnerable species and is listed as 'near threatened' by the IUCN. However, the fight for the preservation of the giant salamander might be about to receive an unexpected boost as the Oosanshouuo itself is revealed to be a key to the conservation of other amphibian species.
The chytrid fungus poses a real threat to some frog species as it is lethal to many and has been responsible to putting dents in vulnerable populations world wide. It's nasty stuff, invading the skin of it's victim and to all intents and purposes smothering it to death by interrupting movement of water and oxygen.
Up until now, it was thought to have come from Africa, however, last year it was discovered that the fungus resided also on the skin of the giant salamander, particularly in new strains, and that there it was completely harmless.
As the BBC reports: "It appears likely now that studies of the Japanese giant salamander can expand the number of chytrid-fighting bacteria known to science, and so extend the options for developing treatments for an infection that currently cannot be controlled in the wild.
But that can only come to pass if the giant salamanders endure; something that is not guaranteed, with the challenges they face in modern Japan including, perhaps, new strains of chytrid itself.
There is as yet no modern hero able to still the pace of habitat loss or prevent invasion from rival species."
More articles, pictures and videos here:
BBC News - Close encounters with Japan's 'living fossil'
WTF Nature on Livejournal (