Comments on: Canadian Gators? More Likely Giant Black Salamanders

By: Torin Steel Devlin

Torin Steel Devlin — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:59:16 +0000

I’m sure both the Japanese, and Chinese herpetologists have methods of finding and capturing their giant salamanders. Why not just do what they do? I do find it odd though that nobody has found juveniles. They should be all over. A species that large would lay quite a few eggs, and the hatchlings would have to find places where they could survive. They would probably be in the lake shallows among plants, or in small streams and ponds connected to the lake. Some would also mature in these streams and ponds at least to some degree. Then again maybe they have an unusual life cycle, or are just so rare that nobody even finds a small one in a stream.

By: Rillo777

Rillo777 — Fri, 04 May 2007 16:57:06 +0000

Could also be an example of parallel creation!

But I think mystery_man is right. No reason that such creatures of similar type couldn’t live in that enviroment.

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Thu, 03 May 2007 16:44:21 +0000

Shumway10973- To answer your questions, yes that size (6 to 10 feet) would make them the largest salamander, but I don’t believe it to be a completely far fetched idea that a species of giant salamander could get that big. Also, I highly doubt this species would fill the niche of alligators or crocodiles. The other known giant slamanders I mentioned will eat anything they can, but this consists mostly of small prey like fish, worms, frogs, and crustaceans. They are sluggish, harmless, and would not be taking down large prey like deer or anything like that. One reason the people looking for them may not be having any luck is that perhaps they were searching during very cold times of the year. In Japan, while the giant slamander prefers cold streams, it will lurk at the bottom and become very lethargic during colder months due to the fact that it is a cold blooded creature. The ones looking for this creature will likely have more luck with baits, traps, and other search methods if they conduct these methods during warmer months when the water isn’t quite as cold.

By: Bob Michaels

Bob Michaels — Thu, 03 May 2007 16:05:07 +0000

Mystery man has it right, let`s hope it can be proven to exist in B.C. and is a new species an example of parallel evolution.

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Thu, 03 May 2007 15:42:52 +0000

“This is still in the realm of the sasquatch, but the ancient stories and my research confirm it,” the ardent amateur cryptozoologist said.

Uhhh..Ok. So this means the sasquatch is confirmed? I think the giant salamander theory is a good one as there are very large slamanders living in Japan and China. The Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) can reach a length of 5 feet long and weigh 55 pounds. That is large enough to be mistaken for being 6 or 7 feet and who is to say another species or subspecies couldn’t reach greater sizes, or that even one of this species couldn’t have the potential to reach that size? i think it is very plausible that there could be a species of giant salamander living in the region. Also, these have been seen in Britich Columbia, which I imagine has very cold streams. This is ideal habitat for something like this. The Japanese giant salamander for example prefers cold, fast moving streams. I think the temperature would favor a large salamander over the crocodile, which would not do well in a cold water environment.

By: shumway10973

shumway10973 — Thu, 03 May 2007 15:40:33 +0000

10 foot salamander! Now that’s probably the largest amphibian, right? Would they take the niche in the food chain that the alligators and crocs have, or are they just eating a ton of bugs? This could be the making of a movie, “Salamander vs. Lake Placid’s crocodiles”.

By: Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman — Thu, 03 May 2007 10:57:08 +0000

I've done a further analysis of John's above blog in my posting, The Name Game: The Trinities.