Oki Salamander

This endemic Oki Islands species is found only on Dōgo Island. It lives around mountain streams within natural forests. Adults grow to be around 12–13 cm in length; their bodies are a purplish red or amber color, and some are speckled with yellow, giving each individual a slightly different appearance. As amphibians, small salamanders' young live in water, and the species are divided into two major types based on whether their young live in standing water (lentic type) or running water (lotic type). The Oki salamander is peculiar in that it shows the processes of evolution—from lotic type to lentic type, then back to lotic type—as the Oki salamander evolved according to changes in its environment through the years. Recent research has found genetic differences in the salamanders even within Dōgo Island.