Rare Giant Salamander Found in Cave in China

A living specimen of the giant salamander, the world’s largest amphibian that can top 100 pounds and reach six feet in length, has been discovered in a Chinese cave. This particular salamander is also estimated to be up to 200 years old.

Now a rare Chinese giant salamander is in the care of conservationists after it was discovered by a local fisherman.

Believed to be about 200 years old, the salamander is used in traditional Chinese medicine and is considered endangered.

The slimy critter is an Andrias davidianus, the largest amphibian on the planet and critically endangered.

The species is closely related to two other behemoths-the slightly smaller Japanese giant salamander and the hellbender of eastern North America. The Chinese government enlisted the great salamander as a Class II Protected Species, but consumption of salamander bred in captivity is legal and can set one back by as much as US$300 (S$422) per kilogram. According to IUCN, however it would have dropped by 80% in China over the past 30 years.

The giant salamander is the largest amphibian in the world, and this isn’t even the biggest one.

Groups, including the Zoological Society of London, are leading conservation efforts within China in an attempt to save the giant creatures.

The Chinese giant salamander also known as Andrias davidianus is nearly extinct due to overhunting and habitat destruction where the International Union for Conservation of Nature already listed them as critically endangered.