11) ~Chinese Giant Salamander~

More about 11) ~Chinese Giant Salamander~

Species: Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus)

Location: Central and Southern China

Status: Critically Endangered- possibly extinct in the wild in some regions

Estimated Population: Wild individuals extremely rare; most exist in captive breeding farms

Description & Behavior:

The Chinese Giant Salamander is the largest amphibian on Earth, capable of growing over 1.8 meters (6 feet) long and weighing up to 60 kilograms (130 lbs).
Its appearance is almost prehistoric - a flattened, broad head, wrinkled dark-brown skin, and tiny lidless eyes that give it an eerie, ancient look. It breathes mostly through its skin and spends its entire life underwater, hiding among rocks and crevices in cold, fast-flowing mountain streams.

A nocturnal ambush predator, it feeds on fish, crustaceans, and insects, detecting movement through vibrations in the water- a sixth sense that allows it to hunt in darkness. Despite its size, it’s a gentle, slow-moving creature with an incredibly long lifespan, often living over 50 years in captivity.

Threats:

Overharvesting: Hunted heavily for its meat (considered a delicacy) and for use in traditional Chinese medicine.

Habitat destruction: Dam construction, mining, and pollution have destroyed pristine mountain stream ecosystems.

Genetic dilution: Large-scale farming and unregulated releases of salamanders have caused hybridization between regional subspecies, threatening the original gene pools.

Pollution: Industrial runoff and sedimentation reduce oxygen and contaminate the cold, clean water it needs to survive.

Conservation Efforts:

Establishment of protected reserves and breeding programs, though many focus on farming for commercial purposes rather than true conservation.

The Chinese Giant Salamander Conservation Project (led by Chinese and international groups) works to identify pure genetic lineages for rewilding.

Efforts to reforest watersheds and restore mountain stream habitats.

Public education campaigns to reduce demand for salamander meat and promote wildlife protection awareness.

However, despite these efforts, wild populations continue to decline, and genuine, genetically pure wild salamanders are nearly gone - making it one of the most tragic modern examples of “extinction through exploitation.”

2025 November 01