English Common Name

Ryukyu Spiny Newt, Anderson’s Crocodile Newt

Scientific name

Echinotriton andersoni

Taxonomy

Order: Caudata, Family: Salamandridae

Size

14 – 21 cm

Species distribution:

Okinawa, Amamioshima, Tokunoshima Islands

Okinawan Common Name

Soh ji mu yah (Sword-tailed Newt is called the same)

Okinawa Prefecture Natural Monument

National Endangered Species

Japan Red List of Threatened Species: Vulnerable

This is the biggest member of the Salamandridae family found in Japan. The unchanged primitive structure of the Ryukyu Spiny Newt makes this species known as a "living fossil.”The Japanese common name describes the species well. The body is dark brown in color and has bumps around the tips of the ribs. The bottom side of its tail and sole of the feet are orange.The species threatens its enemies by opening its ribs widely. After metamorphosis, the adult feeds on earth worms and small insects

---

※Please Note!
Echinotriton andersoni is an endangered species and Okinawa Prefecture Natural Monument. Please refer to the Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and Okinawa Prefecture’s law for the Protection of Cultural Properties.

Updated June 2017

back to "Movies of Okinawa creatures" page