I wanna...then again maybe not (C. pyrrhogaster in the wild)

[TJ]

This pic, which I snapped over the weekend in Fukushima Prefecture, northern Japan, shows a Cynops pyrrhogaster resting, seemingly at great peril, close to the jaws of an "iwana" (Salvelinus leucomaenis), a variety of char related to the North American brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). While younger iwanas are mainly aquatic insect feeders, they become fish-eaters as they grow in size and are even known to sometimes prey on snakes. I read that brook trout too are known to eat small snakes and salamanders,

But this iwana wisely opted to leave in peace the toxic caudate, which seemed completely oblivious to its presence

(Message edited by TJ on August 15, 2004)

 

[TJ]

 

[TJ]

Here's a display at the Himeji City Aquarium showing that three salamanders were found in the digestive tract of this 36-centimeter iwana -- an 8 cm Onychodactylus japonicus and the skin and bones of another, as well as a 7.5 cm Hynobius kimurae:

 

[kaysie]

Cause of death? lol

 

[gord]

Hi:

Just was going through old posts and came across this thread. I'm well acquainted with the salvelinus that Tim mentioned is related to the Japan char leucomaenis. This char, commonly called brook trout, is salvelinus fontinalis or "dweller of the spring." In many inland lakes in Northern Ontario, blue spotted or Jefferson salamanders and red spotted newts make up a large portion of the fontinalis diet. I've caught brook trout in the winter that had caudata remains in them.I assume they dig them out of the mud. In the spring, fontinalis will work the shoreline and gobble up mating and spawning newts, salamanders and frogs. I wonder if the char do the same thing in Japan?

Here's a pic of me with a fontinalis of about 50 cm or so.

Gord