Okinawa Sword-tailed Newt Cynops ensicauda popei

Sword-tailed or Sword-tail Newts are native to the Japanese Ryukyu chain of islands. Sword-taileds are closely related to the Fire-bellied newts and have bright orange undersides to indicate that they are toxic to eat or handle. The Okinawa Sword-tailed is a subspecies of the Sword-tailed native to the islands of Okinawa and Amami.

Females can reach 18cm long; males, with their much shorter tails, 13cm. The Okinawa Sword-tailed Newt is endangered through habitat destruction, roadkill and introduction of predatory tilapia in breeding ponds.