News and Stories

Happy Amphibian Week! This week celebrates and brings attention to the important role that animals such as frogs, toads, newts and salamanders play in our ecosystem and food chain! Amphibians consume huge numbers of mosquitoes and other disease-bearing insects. 

In April, it was time for the annual checkup of the Zoo’s two Japanese Giant Salamanders (Andrias japonicus). During their exams, the vet team performed exams, radiographs, ultrasounds, and collected blood samples and skin swabs. We’re happy to report that both animals appeared to be in good health overall.

In the radiographs that were taken of Priscilla, we were able to see her most recent meal. See if you can spot it!

Priscilla’s head

Priscilla ate a fish!

Priscilla’s tail

Pricilla

We also got a weight on these animals. The female salamander, Priscilla, weighed 32 lbs. Our male salamander, Steve, weighed 39 pounds! Japanese Giant Salamanders are the second largest salamander species in the world, coming in behind their close relative, the Chinese Giant Salamander.

Both Priscilla and Steve came to the Cincinnati Zoo in 1999 from the Asa Zoo in Japan. While we aren’t sure of their exact ages, both salamanders are a minimum of 34 years old!

The Cincinnati Zoo recently provided a grant to support conservation of this species. This grant will support local researchers to build and monitor ladders that these animals can utilize for their upstream migrations. The work involved with it will be completed this year.