Chinese Giant Salamander: World’s Largest Amphibian Is On The Brink Of Extinction

A new study has revealed Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus), the largest amphibian in the world weighing more than 140 pounds and measuring up to 5.9 feet in length, is on the brink of extinction.

Plagued by habitat loss and poaching, the numbers of Chinese salamanders have witnessed a significant decline in the recent years. The marine animals were once widely spread in all parts of the country, but a recent survey, conducted by Samuel Turvey from Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and team, revealed their precarious situation.

The group investigated 97 sites in 16 of China’s 23 provinces, thus making this one of the largest wildlife surveys in the country and found the once-widespread species are now critically extirpated. This is because humans have recklessly been going after the salamanders, hunting them down to consume them as a luxury food item.

Though Chinese laws prohibiting salamander harvesting are in place, more and more people have been indulging in illegal poaching, the study, published in Current Biology, revealed. According to a report in Newsweek, many have also been targeting salamanders for their parts and use in traditional Chinese medicine.

"The overexploitation of these incredible animals for human consumption has had a catastrophic effect on their numbers in the wild over an amazingly short time span," Turvey said in a statement. "Unless coordinated conservation measures are put in place as a matter of urgency, the future of the world's largest amphibian is in serious jeopardy."

Currently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers Chinese giant salamanders as critically endangered animals. It is believed the amphibians diverged from an ancient group of salamanders 170 million years ago and have hardly changed a bit over this period.

This makes their conservation even more important, but they have to make some immediate changes because another related Current Biology study, from Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, suggests Chinese giant salamanders are not one but five, or possibly eight, different species.

That means all commercial breeding farms that have been releasing Chinese salamanders in the wild, without considering their genetic differences, will have to be checked. This is because, the practice, aimed at increasing numbers of the animals, could mix genetic lineages and make the animals prone to maladaptation in different environments.

"Conservation strategies for the Chinese giant salamander require urgent updating," Jing Che, one of the authors behind the second work said in the statement.

This might involve setting up specially designed reserves for the protection of farm-started baby salamanders.

"Together with addressing wider pressures such as poaching for commercial farms and habitat loss, it's essential that suitable safeguards are put in place to protect the unique genetic lineage of these amazing animals," second study co-author Fang Yan added.