Chinese Giant Salamander

Four juveniles were collected from the spring at the mouth of the cave by a local resident who lives about 200 meters from the Cave. Her family kept the salamanders in a pool in their yard for four years, feeding them gold fish. The four individuals now weigh about 2.0 to 2.5 kilograms each. We took two of the individuals to Kunming. The cave is the water supply for the town and the mouth of the cave is too small for people to enter to capture an unknown small number of adults. Juveniles swim out of the cave each January and, if found by residents of the town of 35,000 people, are collected and raised for food. According to the mayor of the town, between 50 and 100 juveniles are caught each year. There are no Andrias farms in the town and the people just keep them until they want to eat them or someone wealthy comes to the town to buy one. The residents are mostly Yi Minority. Zili Fang, the Deputy Director of the Sichuan Department of Environment has known about this population for over 15 years. He made arrangements for us to meet the Mayor who took us to the house where the four salamanders were kept. The small river, starting about 20 meters from the mouth of the cave is extremely polluted and silted. No salamanders have been seen for many years anywhere except the mouth of the cave. This river is a tributary of the huge Yangtze River where Andrias are now completely extinct. According to Zili Fang there are less than a dozen wild populations left in Sichuan. All are thought to be quite small and all are associated with clear streams in the immediate vicinity of caves or in small tributaries of the Yangtze that flow out of uninhabited mountains. We think the Small Fish Cave population consists of only one or two adult pairs based on the small number of juveniles that are found each January.

Four juveniles were collected from the spring at the mouth of the cave by a local resident who lives about 200 meters from the Cave. Her family kept the salamanders in a pool in their yard for four years, feeding them gold fish. The four individuals now weigh about 2.0 to 2.5 kilograms each. We took two of the individuals to Kunming. The cave is the water supply for the town and the mouth of the cave is too small for people to enter to capture an unknown small number of adults. Juveniles swim out of the cave each January and, if found by residents of the town of 35,000 people, are collected and raised for food. According to the mayor of the town, between 50 and 100 juveniles are caught each year. There are no Andrias farms in the town and the people just keep them until they want to eat them or someone wealty comes to the town to buy one. The residents are mostly Yi Minority. Zili Fang, the Deputy Directoy of the Sichuan Department of Environment has know about this population for over 15 years. He made arrangements for us to meet the Mayor who took us to the house where the four salamanders were kept. The small river, starting about 20 meters from the mouth of the cave is extremely polluted and silted. No salamanders have been seen for many years anywhere except the mouth of the cave. This river is a tributary of the huge Yangtze River where Andrias are now completely extinct. According to Zili Fang there are less than a dozen wild populations left in Sichuan. All are thought to be quite small and all associated with clear streams in the immediate vicinity of caves or in small tributaries of the Yangtze the flow out of uninhabited mountains. We think the Small Fish Cave population consists of only one or two adult pairs based on the small number of juveniles that are found each January. The Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) and the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ) are considering a project to sequence the entire genome of Andrias. If so, this specimen, form an exact locality and now a vouchered specimen at KIZ will be the one used for the project.

Summary.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:#f8f9fa;padding:5px;font-size:95%;border-spacing:2px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0;width:100%}.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr{vertical-align:top}.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>th,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>th{padding:4px}.mw-parser-output.fileinfo-paramfield{background:#ccf;text-align:right;padding-right:0.4em;width:15%;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+div.commons-file-information-table>table{border-top:0;padding-top:0;margin-top:-8px}@media only screen and (max-width:719px){.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table.fileinfotpl-type-information{border-spacing:0;padding:0;word-break:break-word;width:100%!important}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody{display:block}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>th,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>th{padding:0.2em 0.4em;text-align:left;text-align:start}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr{display:flex;flex-direction:column}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+div.commons-file-information-table>table{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output.fileinfo-paramfield{box-sizing:border-box;flex:1 0 100%;width:100%}} Description: English: Andrias davidianus, Cryptobranchidae, Chinese Giant Salamander; Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Germany. Deutsch: Andrias davidianus, Cryptobranchidae, Chinesischer Riesensalamander; Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Deutschland. Date: 12 January 2009. Source: Own work. Author: H. Zell. Camera location49° 00′ 23.82″ N, 8° 24′ 01.98″ E View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap 49.006617; 8.400550.

Description: English: Andrias davidianus: Chinese giant salamander Español: Andrias davidianus: salamandra china gigante Euskara: Andrias davidianus: txinatar arrabio herraldoia Deutsch: Andrias davidianus: Chinesischer Riesensalamander Português: Andrias davidianus: Salamandra-gigante-da-china Русский: Andrias davidianus: Китайская гигантская саламандра Svenska: Kinesisk jättesalamander, Andrias davidianus (Blanchard, 1871). Date: 13 August 2004, 07:40:11. Source: Own work. Author: Namiac.

Description: English: Map showing locations of samples collected for the phylogenetic study that clarified the evolutionary relationships between different A. davidianus clades. Date: 2019. Source: Turvey ST, Marr MM, Barnes I, et al. Historical museum collections clarify the evolutionary history of cryptic species radiation in the world's largest amphibians. Ecol Evol. 2019;9(18):10070-10084. Published 2019 Sep 16. doi:10.1002/ece3.5257. Author: Turvey ST, Marr MM, Barnes I, et al.

Description: English: Wild‐caught larvae (a) and an adult (b) of A. davidianus from Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province. Date: 2019. Source: Liang, Z‐Q, Chen, W‐T, Wang, D-Q, et al. Phylogeographic patterns and conservation implications of the endangered Chinese giant salamander. Ecol Evol. 2019; 9: 3879– 3890. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5014. Author: Zhiqiang Liang.

Summary.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:#f8f9fa;padding:5px;font-size:95%;border-spacing:2px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0;width:100%}.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr{vertical-align:top}.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>th,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>th{padding:4px}.mw-parser-output.fileinfo-paramfield{background:#ccf;text-align:right;padding-right:0.4em;width:15%;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+div.commons-file-information-table>table{border-top:0;padding-top:0;margin-top:-8px}@media only screen and (max-width:719px){.mw-parser-output table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table.fileinfotpl-type-information{border-spacing:0;padding:0;word-break:break-word;width:100%!important}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody{display:block}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr>th,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr>th{padding:0.2em 0.4em;text-align:left;text-align:start}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table>tbody>tr,.mw-parser-output.fileinfotpl-type-information>tbody>tr{display:flex;flex-direction:column}.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+table.commons-file-information-table,.mw-parser-output.commons-file-information-table+div.commons-file-information-table>table{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output.fileinfo-paramfield{box-sizing:border-box;flex:1 0 100%;width:100%}} Description: Royal Ontario Museum, ROM, Toronto, 2017. Date: 13 November 2017, 18:03. Source: Chinese Giant Salamander. Author: Thomas Quine.

Description: English: Andrias davidianus in Shanghai Aquarium Deutsch: Chinesischer Riesensalamander (Andrias davidianus) im Aquarium in Shanghai. Date: 24 August 2009. Source: Own work. Author: J. Patrick Fischer.

Description: English: Skeleton of Chinese giant salamander. Moscow zoological museum Русский: Скелет Китайской гигантской саламандры. Московский зоологический музей. Date: 7 October 2009. Source: Own work. Author: Dr Jorgen.

Description: English: Main muscles involved in prey capture in Andrias davidianus. Date: 6 May 2013. Source: Heiss Egon, Natchev Nikolay, Gumpenberger Michaela, Weissenbacher Anton and Van Wassenbergh Sam 2013Biomechanics and hydrodynamics of prey capture in the Chinese giant salamander reveal a high-performance jaw-powered suction feeding mechanismJ. R. Soc. Interface.1020121028. Author: Egon Heiss, Nikolay Natchev, Michaela Gumpenberger, Anton Weissenbacher and Sam Van Wassenbergh.

Description: English: Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) for sale in a restaurant in Hongqiao (虹桥), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China. The price was 880RMB/jin (0.5 kg). Date: 7 February 2013, 13:20:47. Source: Own work. Author: Micromesistius.

Description: English: Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) and its fossil (right). Date: 2018. Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221345301830020X?via%3Dihub#bib0295. Author: Dong He, Wenming Zhu, Wen Zeng, Jun Lin, Yang Ji, Yi Wang, Chong Zhang, Yuan Lu, Daoquan Zhao, Nan Su, Xin-Hui Xing, Nutritional and medicinal characteristics of Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) for applications in healthcare industry by artificial cultivation: A review, Food Science and Human Wellness, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2018, Pages 1-10, ISSN 2213-4530, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2018.03.001. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221345301830020X).

Description: English: A Bayesian tree showing phylogenetic relationships between different A. davidianus clades. Date: 2019. Source: Liang, Z‐Q, Chen, W‐T, Wang, D-Q, et al. Phylogeographic patterns and conservation implications of the endangered Chinese giant salamander. Ecol Evol. 2019; 9: 3879– 3890. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5014. Author: Liang, Z‐Q, Chen, W‐T, Wang, D-Q, et al.

Description: English: A. davidianus. Date: 2019. Source: Turvey ST, Marr MM, Barnes I, et al. Historical museum collections clarify the evolutionary history of cryptic species radiation in the world's largest amphibians. Ecol Evol. 2019;9(18):10070-10084. Published 2019 Sep 16. doi:10.1002/ece3.5257. Author: Turvey ST, Marr MM, Barnes I, et al.

Description: English: A photo showing a typical Chinese farm for Andrias davidianus. Date: 5 February 2015, 14:31:27. Source: Cunningham, A., Turvey, S., Zhou, F., Meredith, H., Guan, W., Liu, X.,.. Wu, M. (2016). Development of the Chinese giant salamander Andrias davidianus farming industry in Shaanxi Province, China: Conservation threats and opportunities. Oryx, 50(2), 265-273. doi:10.1017/S0030605314000842. Author: Andrew A. Cunningham, Samuel T. Turvey, Feng Zhou, Helen M. R. Meredith, Wei Guan, Xinglian Liu, Changming Sun, Zhongqian Wang and Minyao Wu.

Description: English: Digital monitor system recording showing a male Andrias davidianus removing sand from the den in anticipation of female's arrival. Date: 2018. Source: Luo Q, Tong F, Song Y, Wang H, Du M, Ji H. Observation of the Breeding Behavior of the Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus) Using a Digital Monitoring System. Animals (Basel). 2018;8(10):161. Published 2018 Sep 25. doi:10.3390/ani8100161. Author: Luo Q, Tong F, Song Y, Wang H, Du M, Ji H.

Description: English: The head of one of the largest amphibian species - Andrias davidianus. Date: 2018. Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.3862. Author: Shu Chen Andrew A. Cunningham Gang Wei Jian Yang Zhiqiang Liang Jie Wang Minyao Wu Fang Yan Hanbin Xiao Xavier A. Harrison Nathalie Pettorelli Samuel T. Turvey.

Description: English: The image represents the process of oviposition in the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus): (a) the female begins discharging eggs; (b) the male and the female’s tails cross; (c) the male moves to the entrance of the den; and (d) the female body bends into a U-shape. Date: 2018. Source: Luo Q, Tong F, Song Y, Wang H, Du M, Ji H. Observation of the Breeding Behavior of the Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus) Using a Digital Monitoring System. Animals (Basel). 2018;8(10):161. Published 2018 Sep 25. doi:10.3390/ani8100161. Author: Luo Q, Tong F, Song Y, Wang H, Du M, Ji H.

Description: English: The photo depicts the enclosure of the giant chinese salamander (A. davidianus) at ZSL London Zoo. Date: 25 October 2020, 12:49:25. Source: Own work. Author: Pito22.

Description: Français : D'autres salamandres géantes seront collectées par le père David lors de sa troisième exploration, au Shaanxi. Date: 22 August 2020. Source: https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/ra/item/0.7613?listIndex=1&listCount=15. Author: Collecteur : Armand David, Localité : Thibet, Espèce: Andrias davidianus, SPECIMEN :MNHN-RA-0.7613.