Chinese Giant Salamander

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Context

• An old video of giant ancient salamanders discovered in a southwest China cave has sparked conservation concerns.

Chinese giant salamander

• The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) is one of the largest salamanders and one of the largest amphibians in the world.
• It is fully aquatic, and is endemic to rocky mountain streams and lakes in the Yangtze river basin of central China.
• It is considered critically endangered in the wild due to habitat loss, pollution, and overcollection, as it is considered a delicacy and used in traditional Chinese medicine.
• The Chinese giant salamander is considered to be a "living fossil".
• Although protected under Chinese law and CITES Appendix I, the wild population has declined by more than an estimated 80% since the 1950s.