Japanese giant salamander
The Japanese giant salamander ("Andrias japonicus") is a species of salamander in the family Cryptobranchidae. The species is endemic to Japan, where it is known as , literally meaning "giant pepper fish". With a length of up to , it is the third-largest salamander in the world, only being surpassed by the very similar and closely related Chinese giant salamander ("A. davidianus") and South China giant salamander ("A. sligoi"). There are currently only five known members of the family Cryptobranchidae: the Japanese, Chinese, and South China giant salamanders, an undescribed "Andrias" species from eastern China, and the hellbender ("Cryptobranchus alleganiensis").