Photo from the Spoon & Tamago Facebook page
By Terry Fredrickson
Salamanders are not always small and colourful. In some places of the world they can be big enough to be confused with river monsters, as was the case recently in Kyoto, Japan.
Please join us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bangkokpostlearning
Click button to listen rightclick to download
River "monster" takes a walk
A typical small-sized salamander in France. AFP/Valery Hache
When I think of salamanders I think of the small, colourful, lizard-like creatures we have at my home in the United States. They are normally only about 10 - 20 centimetres long.
There are many types of salamanders around the world, however and in China and Japan they can grow quite big, between one and two metres in length.
They are hard to find because they live in cool, clear rivers and are usually active only at night, i.e., they are nocturnal creatures.
Thus, it is not surprising that people living near the Kamogawa River in Kyoto had no idea what they were seeing when a giant Japanese salamander started wandering down a path next to the river.
They thought it was some kind of river monster and they quickly called the police. One person, however, was brave enough to take a video clip of the animal and it has become quite an internet hit.
You can see it here:
Hopefully, the giant salamander is now back in the river where it belongs.
Vocabulary
belongs: when something is in the right place, the place it should be -
brave: not easily frightened; capable of dealing with danger or pain, without seeming to be frightened - กล้า, กล้าหาญ
creature: anything that lives except plants - สิ่งมีชีวิต (คน, สัตว์)
lizard: a small reptile with a rough skin, four short legs and a long tail - สัตว์เลื้อยคลานพวกจิ้งจกหรือตุ๊กแก
monster: (in stories) an imaginary creature that is very large, ugly and frightening - สัตว์ประหลาดในนิยาย,สัตว์ที่น่าเกลียดน่ากลัว
nocturnal: happening at night, active at night - เกี่ยวกับกลางคืน, ออกหากินเวลากลางคืน
normally: as usual; properly - ตามปกติ
salamander: an animal like a lizard, with short legs and a long tail, that usually lives both on land and in water (amphibian ), but some species are aquatic (living in water) - สัตว์ครึ่งบกครึ่งน้ำคล้ายกิ่งก่าชนิดหนึ่ง, จิ้งจกน้ำ
wander: roam; to travel from place to place without a particular direction or purpose - เดินทางไปโดยไม่มีจุดหมายที่แน่นอน, ร่อนเร่
