A new study by researchers in the United Kingdom and China suggests that the Chinese giant salamander, which is listed as an internationally critically endangered species, may include nine species. Researchers say the discovery is significant in saving these ancient animals from extinction, and that protecting these species is a race against time.
This is a captive-bred baby fish photographed in the "Giant Salamander Science and Technology Museum" in Zhangjiajie City (taken on February 4, 2015). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ga
The Chinese giant salamander, commonly known as the "baby fish", can reach a length of about 1.8 meters, and is the largest living amphibian in the world. The origin of the Chinese giant salamander can be traced back to the Jurassic era, and it is also known as a "living fossil" due to its appearance that has remained unchanged for millions of years.
A "baby fish" found in the Jing River in Jingyuan County, Ningxia (photo taken on April 19, 2021). Xinhua News Agency (photo by Wang Yuping)
The Chinese giant salamander was once considered a single species distributed in central and southern China. However, in a new study published Oct. 4 in the international academic journal The Journal of Evolution of the Linnaeus Society, the Zoological Society of London in United Kingdom collaborated with Chinese researchers using genetic data to confirm that the Chinese giant salamander is actually composed of multiple unique species distributed in different river systems. Although they are similar in appearance, the Chinese giant salamander has been genetically differentiated into at least 7 species, while most models support 9 species.
This is the fertilized egg of a salamander in the tail budding stage (taken on August 12, 2006, courtesy of Zhangjiajie Golden Salamander Bioengineering Co., Ltd.).
Samuel · Twey, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology of the Zoological Society of London and one of the paper's authors, said that while researchers had previously suggested that the Chinese giant salamander might not be a single species, "we can now confirm this with certainty" by comparing the degree of genetic differences between giant salamander populations with those of other known giant salamander species.
Ben · Tapley, one of the authors of the paper and director of reptiles and amphibians at the London Zoo in United Kingdom, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on the 5th: "Our research shows that the Chinese giant salamander includes as many as 9 different species, but only 4 species are named by scientists, and only two have been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for conservation status, and both are listed as critically endangered species." The remaining species also meet the criteria for critically endangered, suggesting that urgent action is needed to ensure that conservation laws adequately protect these precious animals. ”
There is a high chance that Chinese giant salamanders will become extinct in the wild, and all parties must work together to prevent these ancient animals from becoming extinct, Tarpley said.
Researchers take damage-free samples of Chinese giant salamanders at the Zhaotong Farm in Yunnan Province on June 24, 2015. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Chen Hongman)
Source: Xinhua News Agency