Albino Andrias japonicus

Mercuri · Jan 31, 2008

Okay guys I did my research. I won't post any Japanese on the forum b/c I don't know how many of you have Asian language support and you might end up with a bunch of boxes and question marks!

Okay well, the article from the Asahi Shinbun is no longer available since it is from 2006. It has also been removed from the Zoo website since news only dates back to 2007. I found a reposting of the article from Kyodo News on a Japanese Giant Salamander conservation site (which is pretty popular). The photo used on the pink tentacle site is also used here and the basic facts pretty much coincide. They were to be exhibited to the public on the 20th of October according to this site. There were 5 larvae found and only two were given to the Asa Zoo.

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The conservation site news: http://www.bob-24.com/oosan/whatsnews.html
(Scroll down to the news post with the image of the larvae)

Rough translation of that post:

October 2006, White larvae found in river in Hiroshima, being raised at Asa Zoological Park.

Five White larvae were found in a town in a river in northern Hiroshima. Two of those larvae were given to the Asa Zoo to be raised. They will be available for public viewing on Oct. 20th. The mutant variation has no pigment and is called "albino." According to the park, larvae are commonly black and albinos are a result of conditions in nature. It is said to be highly unlikely to find more than one in the same locale. The two found are roughly 6 centimenters in length/2 grams and 7 centimeter/4 grams. Incubation is thought to have taken place last October. The five larvae were discovered in an (irrigation ditch?) in North Hiroshima by farmers in April. Two are protected in the park and the other three were released. The park's manager Ashikaga (Kazuhide?) said, "there is no example of a grown albino so I want to transfer them to a breeding facility." (Kyodo News)
October 25th, 2006. Photo and Full Article reprinted from Kyodo News.

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The article was definitely posted on both Kyodo News and the Asahi Shinbun (Newspaper). Also quite a buzz on the blogosphere in Japanese. The other articles on the conservation site are all reposts from the news and they all seem to be valid. The weird thing is that I can't find anything more recent on these little guys.

I also found a few more images in my travels.

(The blog along with this one describes the exhibit at the zoo. Blogger remarked that they were separated from the other larvae in a smaller aquarium.

Previous image scanned from a magazine. Author of this said that flash photography was prohibited at the exhibition.

I hope that helps eveyone! Asa zoo is renowned for their work with Giant Salamanders - I also found a post which describes their new method of artificial breeding. In Japanese, Andrias are called "Oosanshouuo" or "Oosan" for short. I got relatively no hits when typing in English, and several pages when I typed in the Japanese name with different variations of the word "albino" in Japanese. Quite a buzz back in '06!

Kaysie · Jan 31, 2008

Too bad this didn't come to the forefront earlier! *stands corrected*

Now... what are the odds the albinos that were released actually survived? Slim to none?

Nathan050793 · Jan 31, 2008

Wow! so it really is true! Thank you for proving my original post true Christina! I can speak a little Japanese, but can't read it, so you helped a lot!

Now all I wonder is what they will look like as adults?

John · Jan 31, 2008

Everyone give Christina some positive reputation by clicking on the scales icon on her post. She deserves it. Thank you for taking the time to do this, Christina.

To everyone who doubted, well, hehe.

Abrahm · Jan 31, 2008

John said:
To everyone who doubted, well, hehe.

To be fair the complete lack of supporting evidence and the credibility of the source left a lot to be desired. In an age of photoshop and false internet memes is it really so bad to be a little skeptical?

Good job, Christina on finding a reputable source to confirm this interesting story.

John · Jan 31, 2008

Abrahm said:
To be fair the complete lack of supporting evidence and the credibility of the source left a lot to be desired. In an age of photoshop and false internet memes is it really so bad to be a little skeptical?

To be fair, not even we could have pulled a fake like that off so well. I'm hot enough with photoshop - that's not the problem. The problem is knowing exactly how a juvenile albino Andrias would look. If we don't know precisely, I doubt more than 2-3 people in the world would, and someone would jump on them pretty quickly if it were a fake (say, Asa zoo).

Jennewt · Jan 31, 2008

I got the expert opinion I was waiting for, although Christina has already proven the case. I wrote to Tim Johnson (resident of Tokyo and former C.org moderator). He says these white Andrias are a well-known story in Japan. Tim claims that they aren't albino, as the eyes aren't red - I can't tell from the photos, but they don't look black to me. The Asa Zoo in Hiroshima breeds A. japonicus every year (though he didn't say if this is indoor or outdoor breeding), and they are the only place that does this.

pete · Feb 1, 2008

That was a fun read. I thought it could go either way... sickly axie from a questionable source or true story. Thanks for clearing it up.

Jake · Feb 1, 2008

Well, umm,
I'd like to formally apologize to John Clare, Michael Shrom, Nathan, and all of the other believers. I was wrong, you were right. You're all gold, I'm just dirt. You're the champs, I'm the chump. You're fine diners, I eat dog chow. You're the soap, and I'm the clump of hair in the drain. You're the house cats, and I'm a stray. You're all purebreds and I'm a nasty mutt.

I'M NOT WORTHY! I'M NOT WORTHY! I'M NOT WORTHY!

Now it's time for the walk of shame.

...and Michael, I'll send that $5 to you tomorrow.

Mark · Feb 1, 2008

Well, my slice of humble pie tastes particularly good...:lick:

Jennewt · Feb 1, 2008

I stand corrected about the "true albinos" issue. Tim remembered the eye color incorrectly. They are true albinos, with unpigmented eyes.

Kaysie · Feb 1, 2008

Jen, did Tim say whether they're still there? If so, I think he should take a field trip...

Mercuri · Feb 1, 2008

I'm glad I could help! I am going to graduate school for East Asian Art and I feel great any time I can use the language to help either of my hobbies (Art and Caudates... how they mix I'm not so sure..) Upon first look, the pink tentacles site was indeed dubious so I don't blame any one for not believing! I was in Japan when the story broke so when I saw this posted, I knew there had to be some article laying around the internet.

I did find a site where the breeding process at Asa Zoo is explained - when I find some free time I'll take another look at it and provide a breakdown on how they do it. Lots of pictures and a video in case someone was interested.

http://www.asazoo.jp/doubutu/zoostar/4gs/gs1.html

Neotenic_Jaymes · Feb 1, 2008

so they were really Oosan.....wow I was totally wrong....but I'm glad that this whole topic got all this attention and now we know the truth of it....

Jennewt · Feb 2, 2008

Tim has sent me some additional information, and he says it's OK to post the photos here (permission given by "Sakuma" who took them).

He also sent various info from the text of the photos, which I'll quote from his e-mail rather than try to summarize:

...a photo of a display at Asa zoo, which says in Japanese
that this is the only place in Japan, and indeed the only place in the
world, where one can see albino giant salamanders. It says these larvae
(they still have gills) were found April 15, 2006, in a river in
Hiroshima Prefecture, and that they are being kept in order to study
their genes and growth. It also explains what an albino is. It says the
animals are thought to have been born (as eggs? as larvae?) in autumn of
2005. It shows a photo of an albino larva, and contrasts it with a
normal larva in another photo (one that was born at Asa Zoo). And it
asks people not to tap the glass or use a flash so as not to stress out
the animals

Also, there's also a bit that says Asa is the only place in the world
where freshly hatched giant salamander larvae can be viewed by the
public, and it talks about how Asa is where giant salamanders have
successfully been bred in captivity in a breeding tank.

Also, as far as a more official site with such information goes, you can
refer people to the site of the Hiroshima City government, which
explains about the animals, when and where they were caught, what an
albino is and how rare it is for there to be an albino giant salamander
found.

http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/www/contents/0000000000000/1188873315542/index.html

It also mentions that there is no record of an adult giant salamander
being found.

When the animals went on display in October 2006 they were 7 cm long, and
as of July 2007 the biggest of the two had grown to 12 cm.

As for claims made on that site and on the display board at Asa, they
might not be taking into account Andrias davidianus records or what's
going on in China. Who knows, there might be (or have been) albino
davidianus adult around. I've attached a photo of what could be one (I
took this off a Chinese site long ago).

Regarding the adult A. davidianus, Tim is referring to a photo very similar to the one posted on this website:
http://168horas.com.ar/080122/080122_15.htm

Nathan050793 · Feb 2, 2008

Wow, that is really cool. It really shows why Asa zoo is so famous for their giant salamanders. I really liked the photo comparing the non-albino with the albino.

John · Feb 2, 2008

Jen, please thank Tim for his great contribution. Could you also tell him he is greatly missed and we would love for him to come back to the site occasionally

.

r24111 · Jan 30, 2009

Nathan050793 said:
I found this really interesting, I have never seen a larval A. japonicus. The fact that it is albino is even more incredible. Check out the link.
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2006/10/baby-albino-giant-salamanders-in-hiroshima/

Hello. I am from Japan. In japanese news paper, it is reported really to be Albino Andrias japonicus.

But, I can show you other Albino Andrias japonicus!!:happy:

http://www.recordchina.co.jp/group.php?groupid=10086&type=1&p=4#t

r24111 · Jan 31, 2009

I have just send a letter in Japanese to Asa Zoo to ask to make a English page for the record of the Albino.

supergrappler · Jan 31, 2009

Axologic_Jaymes said:
those arent japanese salamanders!!!!! those are axolotls!! they dont even resemble O-San-shouhou/giant japanese salamanders. My friend from japan told me alittle about them and showed me pics of them. Those are axolotls in a small tank with blue gravel......

Haha... O-San shou is the king of all amphibians! But the picture doesnt look like axolotl.

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