In Japan, there is a common legend called the Kappa, a child-killing river monster.
The Kappa has been a part of Japanese folklore for hundreds of years and is seen as a mischievous trickster. Legends of the Kappa are told as a precautionary tale to keep children away from lakes and rivers, but it is most likely referring to the giant salamander, known locally in Japan as hanzaki, or the giant Japanese salamander, one of the largest species of salamander in the world.
These salamanders are considered aggressive and grow up to 5 feet long.
In an installment of River Monsters with Jeremy Wade, he joins a researchers who keeps tabs on the giant salamanders. Each time he encounters one, he looks for a tag and weighs and measures it. If the salamander he caught doesn’t have a tag, he just attaches one.
Wade attempts the process of noodling, or catching a fish with your hands. The researcher uses this information and data he collects as a way to monitor the health of giant Japanese salamanders along this particular river.
This particular salamander caught via noodling had never been caught before.
Watch the entire video below.
