-
Largest Japanese giant salamander dies, aged…Maybe 70 or so?
投稿日 2021年3月4日 01:00:36 (ニュース)
-
続・お知らせ。海外セレブゴシップ&ニュース
-
お知らせ
-
We spot the legendary dekotora Aki Kannon, dedicated to actress and singer Aki Yashiro
-
New Pokémon GU collaboration dresses all the family, including babies for the first time
-
How do European Cup Noodles taste to a Japanese palate?
-
We’ve been doing it wrong – Japanese genius shows us how we should all be making sandwiches【Pics】
-
The future is now with full face sunglasses
-
Natto-infused ramen is a thing — we tried it, we love it【Taste test】
-
Jellyfish and Halloween in perfect harmony at Sumida Aquarium event
-
Japanese toilet paper collection opens our minds as we open our butts
-
Aomori police on the lookout for man shouting unsolicited advice at kids about dating and ramen
-
Former Arashi members Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba get married… Wait, that didn’t come out right
-
Creator of Japan’s longest-running manga, Golgo 13, passes away, leaves fans one last gift
-
Crazy cheap cosplay at Daiso? How to transform into Dragon Ball’s Vegeta at the discount shop
-
7 Halloween-themed afternoon teas you won’t want to miss this year
-
Krispy Kreme Japan creates doughnut burgers that are a meal and two desserts all in one【Photos】
-
Get in the damn drift car, Shinji? Evangelion Tomika toy brings D1 machine home in miniature form
-
Demon Slayer Nichiren Blades ready for new duty: Slicing through your sweets as dessert knives
-
Man in Japan arrested for breaking into ex-girlfriend’s apartment to steal her Nintendo Switch
-
The Japanese Internet chooses the top too-sexy-for-their-own-good male voices in anime
-
First-ever Studio Ghibli x Russell Athletic range pays homage to My Neighbour Totoro
-
Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan announces first expansion with new Donkey Kong area
-
Cup Noodle pouch satisfies our never-ending need for instant ramen
-
Retro Japanese train is our new favourite office space
-
How do Japanese fans feel about Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop opening sequence?
-
We try Uniqlo coffee at first-ever cafe inside Ginza flagship store
-
The number of elderly people in Japan this year has yet again smashed multiple records
-
Mr. Sato broadens his home drinking horizons at Kaldi【Japan’s Best Home Senbero】
-
We try Japanese Twitter’s newest trend the Penguin Egg, end up hatching something very disturbing
-
Takoyaki makers surprisingly good at grilling meat for yakiniku too
Sponsored Link
Yuzumaru, we hardly knew ye.
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Yuzumaru, billed as “Japan’s largest giant salamander” at its home of Roadside Station Innai in Usa, Oita Prefecture. The cause of death isn’t clear but it was said to be showing signs of advanced aging prior to its death.
The Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) was found in a waterway in the town of Innai in 2004. However, these creatures are classified as living national monuments and such a location was dangerous for it, so the Agency of Cultural Affairs transferred it to a local branch for one year before placing it in the care of Roadside Station Innai.
▼ Yuzumaru in March of 2020
There it was given the name of Yuzumaru by the manager Yoshitaka Ifuku and enjoyed many years of sitting under a rock and dining on plentiful supplies of its favorite food, loaches. It also became a star attraction of the rest stop and spawned its own line of merchandise such as key chains and stuffed animals.
Yuzumaru was clearly eating well, because in 2018 it weighed in at 25 kilograms (55 pounds) and measured 131.5 centimeters (4 feet 4 inches) in length, making it the largest known living salamander in Japan. This honor only added to its appeal, and travelers continued to flock to catch a glimpse of its rather sedate lifestyle.
▼ One of the last known videos of Yuzumaru, taken only nine days before its passing
Its popularity continued to soar, until the morning of 28 February when an employee of the rest stop noticed a strange white mold growing on Yuzumaru’s face and back. She contacted the Innai Board of Education who rushed to the scene and confirmed its death…was two days earlier.
Sponsored Link
Japanese giant salamanders are mainly nocturnal creatures with extremely low metabolisms so Yuzumaru didn’t really do much during the day, making it hard to tell if it was alive or dead much of the time.
▼ “When we saw it last year, it was fine…I think? I mean, it didn’t move at all.”
日本一のオオサンショウウオ死ぬ 道の駅いんない、別れを惜しむ https://t.co/he8OaIZP2R
昨年見た時は元気だった、、、のかな?
全然動かなかったけど pic.twitter.com/QguDB8NiCO— T-BANG (@t_bang0028) March 3, 2021
Seventy-one-year-old Ifuku was distraught at the loss, telling Asahi Shimbun: “I’m still in shock. I feel like I lost a family member.” He added, “Some kids come to see it everyday. What am I going to tell them?”
Yuzumaru mostly kept to itself and left us with many mysteries such as whether it was a male or female. Its age was also unknown but believed to be about 70. Perhaps some of these questions will finally be answered when its body is dissected for research purposes in Hiroshima.
After that it is unclear what will become of Yuzumaru’s remains, but Ifuku wondered, “Perhaps it could return here as a taxidermy exhibit.”
Source: Oita Godo Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun
Top image: YouTube/TP Hacchannel
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Source: SORA NEWS24
Sponsored Link
最新情報