- [Coyote] Right here.
Right here, we got one, got one.
- You got one? - Yeah, yeah, look at this.
All right Dr. Okada, move in for the catch.
(fast drum music)
(growling)
A thick cloud of lores hung for centuries,
over the densely forested mountains of Japan.
Stories that spoke of creatures living and lurking
within the shadows of the trees,
and deep beneath its flowing rivers.
Yet, as is often the case with lore,
and its tendency to be passed from storyteller
to storyteller, the truth behind the tale is often skewed,
and quite frequently misunderstood.
The Tottori Prefecture proudly hales
as being one of the most remote stretches
of wilderness in all of Japan.
Breathtaking is the beauty that defines this wild place.
And, we are honored to step foot on these sacred grounds.
Today the Brave Wilderness team and I
will be breaking trail for an adventure
unlike any we have embarked upon before.
As we join the world's leading authority
in Japanese Giant Salamander research and conservation,
Dr. Sumio Okada, also know as Okada Sensei.
For over two decades, Okada Sensei
has been tirelessly working to protect
these fragile amphibians.
Whose breeding grounds are under the constant threat
of habitat degradation due to the building
of dams, and embankment protection walls.
The Japanese Giant Salamander
is the second largest amphibian in the world.
And, is considered a living fossil.
As their biology has barely changed in millions of years.
This, along with their cryptic nature,
has shrouded them in a cloak of mystery.
And, you will soon understand why
they have been revered as river dragons.
Wow, you can feel the energy in the air within this forest.
It is ancient, and the animals that live here,
these Japanese Giant Salamanders,
are about as prehistoric as it gets.
And, I'll tell ya what guys, the salamanders are out there.
So, as we get closer to sunset,
we're gonna gear up and head out at night.
As you know, these amphibians are nocturnal,
so our best chance of coming across them
will be under the cover of darkness.
Finding river dragons is not impossible
under the light of day, yet it's their
nocturnal feeding habits that make them
much more likely to emerge from their dens at night.
All right guys, well this is the spot.
Dr. Okada says this is where we're getting into the river,
we're gonna head upstream,
and hopefully find some giant salamanders.
All right, lead the way.
With Okada Sensei leading us forward,
the glow of our flashlight beams cut through the darkness,
and the search for salamanders was underway.
In nearly every episode featured on
the Brave Wilderness channel, I've been the one
who's expected to safely catch our target species.
Yet, with the giant salamander, that will not be the case.
Due to their vulnerable status, and cultural importance
to the Japanese people, these amphibians
are considered a special national monument
by the Japanese government.
Strict laws and licensing means only Okada Sensei,
and other licensed researchers, are able to catch
and handle giant salamanders in the wild.
My job will be to spot and assist in recording data,
if one is found.
I'll tell you what guys, you wander away from
the rest of the group, and just spread out by yourself
searching, and I just can imagine what it would be like
hundreds of years ago to come across one of these
creatures for the first time.
You can certainly see where all of the lore
and the myth would've come from.
These incredible, enormous river dragons,
just out here in the darkness,
hunting amongst the current.
Ah, it's exciting to be out here.
And, hopefully we're gonna find a big one.
Even with waders keeping our clothes dry,
the chill of the water was enough to send
consistent shivers down our spines.
Yet, the thrill of the search,
and the hope of encountering a true giant,
kept us all fighting forward.
Then suddenly, as if manifested from silt and shadow,
there in the ripple of broken fragments of light,
the silhouette of a dragon materialized.
Something right here, right here.
Right here, we got one, got one.
- You got one? - Yeah, yeah, look at this.
Wow, okay.
Look at that, perfect ambush behavior right there.
Just waiting, down current, with it's head
pointed in towards the middle of the river.
Now, if a fish or a crab comes by,
it's capable of just (gulping) gulping it
straight down into its gullet.
Now, if I can take just a minute before we catch it,
what I wanna do is actually just slink down
in the water with the GoPro on a little light.
Let's go ahead and drop those lights down lower.
Is that okay for your camera?
- Yeah, that'd be fine. - Okay, let's try that.
And, I wanna see if I can get some shots of it
just naturally, right there in its environment.
(dramatic music)
This is great, all right,
it's just holding its ground right now.
It definitely can sense that we are here.
And, I'm able to get right up close to it.
Ah, that is so cool.
Wow!
- [Mark] That's a good one.
- That is a good size salamander.
What an ancient looking creature.
All right Dr. Okada, move in for the catch.
Yes!
Man, I got a pretty awesome shot right there.
- [Mark] You got it?
- Got it. - Whoa.
Man they can be quick.
- Wow, look at that.
Completely fills the inside of the net.
Each salamander is unique, and we have to collect
the biometric data for every one that we find.
So, let's get it up here on shore, and.
- Shore.
- Get what we need.
All right guys, now before we collect
the biometric data of the salamander,
what I wanna do, because this one is so big,
is place it inside of this container
so we can take an up close look at its really cool features.
Now, this will allow you guys to get a better look,
and of course, us the opportunity to admire it.
All right, let's go ahead and get the salamander in there.
Oh, this is gonna be cool.
You guys got good shots?
- Yup. - Here we go.
Wow!
The Japanese Giant Salamander.
Have you ever seen an amphibian of that size?
It's so big it almost doesn't fit in the container.
Now, notice the shape of this salamander's head.
It's wedge shaped, it's big, it's flat.
That allows them to cut through the current,
and certainly wedge themselves underneath rocks
where, of course, they build their dens.
And, what's very distinct about this salamander,
compared to the Hellbender, is look at all
these fleshy little nodules on the head.
We didn't see that with the Hellbender.
And, I'm guessing, and Dr. Okada correct me if I'm wrong,
those are sensory organs, right?
- [Dr. Okada] Um hm.
- To help them feel around in their environment,
sense chemicals, 'cause as you can see,
they have very small eyes, very poor eyesight.
So, they primarily rely on their chemical receptors
to help them navigate their environment.
Now, as you move your way down the length
of the amphibian's body, you'll notice these flaps of skin.
Right?
It looks very wrinkly.
Those flaps are actually capable of helping them
exchange gasses within the water.
Basically, this is a way for them to breathe
when they are completely submerged.
As we know, a lot of amphibians absorb their environment,
or absorb oxygen in through their skin.
And, the Japanese Giant Salamander's a perfect example
of an amphibian that uses its skin to breathe.
Now, you'll notice the length between
the front legs and the rear legs
has quite a noticeable spread, right.
That allows them to keep their body really low
and squat to the basin of the river.
Now, each one of these arms, and of course the legs,
are very short and stumpy.
But, they are armed with little pads on their fingertips.
They have four fingers up front, five fingers in the back.
And, those little nuptial pads, they are almost peach
in coloration, allow them to grip to the basin of the river.
Dr. Okada, can we take a look at the salamander's toes?
Let's show those little nuptial pads.
Maybe on the back foot here.
If you can just sort of lean that foot up
for Mario's camera there.
See if we can look at those pads.
You guys see that?
- Oh yeah. - Go ahead and zoom in there.
Now, you'll notice that the feet are
not really webbed like a frog, right.
There's a little bit of webbing it looks like at the,
just where the toes connect to the foot.
But, those pads are really what they rely on
to help them move through the environment.
They can pretty much lock in place
no matter how powerful the current.
I notice that there's like a little divot,
a couple divots in the tail, is that where
maybe something tried to eat it or bite it?
- [Dr. Okada] Yeah, bitten.
Or something hit against stone.
- Okay, so maybe a potential predator bit at this.
Of course, males will also fight with each other
to protect breeding territories.
Or, of course, as we know, the male
Japanese Giant Salamander is oftentimes considered
the den master, they look after
the eggs and after the larvae.
So, of course, this salamander would be
defending its young if something tried
to come in and consume the babies.
Now, it's really cool, is that when we walked up
on this salamander, it was in the process of hunting.
And, to me, that's one of the most impressive features
of this creature, is the fact that
it will lay and wait in an ambush position,
and then they have that enormous mouth.
It, their jaw spread all the way far back,
so they can just (gulping) gulp something up
straight outta the water.
Whether it's a crawfish or crab, a frog,
or sometimes they will even eat other salamanders.
So, in a sense, this amphibian can be cannibalistic,
if it's a smaller Japanese Giant Salamander,
it stands the chance of becoming a meal.
All right, well I would say, at this point
we're probably ready to collect the biometric data.
- Um hm.
- So, what we're gonna do now is,
we're gonna bring in the measuring tube here.
And, Dr. Okada is going to pick the salamander up,
we're gonna put it in there,
and collect this important research.
The same protocol is followed for each and every salamander.
As the length is carefully recorded,
the weight is accurately checked,
and the slippery amphibian is scanned
to determine whether or not it was previously tagged.
This gently giant was already in the record books.
So, it's biometrics will be updated.
And, the good news is that it appears healthy and happy.
Further conformation that this remote population,
for now, is continuing to thrive.
Well, we have collected all of the necessary
biometric data, and it is time to release
the salamander back into the wild.
Dr. Okada, thank you so much
for leading this expedition tonight.
How awesome was this guys?
Heading into the back country of Japan
to get up close with the one and only
Japanese Giant Salamander.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave, stay wild.
We'll see ya on the next adventure.
All right, back down to the river.
For millions of years, these mysterious creatures
lived and thrived within these ancient waters.
The legends of countless stories,
and the keepers of the river's spirit.
Yet, in less than a century, the realm of river dragons
has nearly been wiped out.
The future of the Japanese Giant Salamander
is unknown, and sadly, the probability
of it becoming extinct is a very real threat,
due to the negative effects of human activity.
If the nesting sites of these beautiful amphibians
continue to be destroyed with the building of dams,
and embankment protection walls,
their fate is all but written in the concrete
that has yet to poured.
For Okada Sensei, the fight to educate the public,
and protect the giants in their habitats
that do still remain, is never ending.
Yet, hope shines brightly, as the work
he so passionately enjoys, is already being passed down,
and honored by his son with open arms
and smiles of excitement.
If you would like to make a difference
in protecting the Japanese Giant Salamander,
and also dream of seeing these beautiful animals
in the wild for yourself, make sure to visit
the website that is helping to ensure
that there's a future in the realm of river dragons.
If you thought this giant salamander was fascinating,
make sure to go back and watch the episode
where we got its North American cousin,
the Hellbender, up close for the cameras.
And, don't forget, subscribe,
and click the notification bell,
so you can join me and the crew
on our next wild adventure.
(roaring)