"Living fossil" species is on the verge of extinction due to being hunted as a delicacy
Giant salamanders, a "living fossil" that has remained unchanged for 170 million years, are sought after for their lean meat that tastes like chicken.
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Field surveys conducted over four years indicate that the Chinese giant salamander is gradually disappearing from its natural habitat, according toBBC. By contrast, millions of salamanders are bred on commercial farms to supply high-end restaurants. Barely changed in 170 million years, this “living fossil” is a top global conservation priority.
“The overexploitation of a species as unique as the giant salamander for human consumption has had a devastating impact on its wild population in a very short space of time,” said Dr Samuel Turvey, a researcher at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Institute of Zoology. “Unless urgent and coordinated conservation measures are taken, the future of the world’s largest amphibian is in grave danger.”
Giant salamanders, which live in rivers and streams, were once common in China. Historically, eating them was taboo. Today, however, giant salamanders are considered a delicacy for good luck. Hunting wild salamanders is illegal, but commercial breeding farms are flourishing. The largest giant salamanders can sell for more than $1,500.
The team conducted field surveys at 97 different sites in 16 of China’s 23 provinces, the largest wildlife survey ever conducted in the country. Giant salamanders were found in the wild at four sites, but genetic analysis showed they were not native to the local environment and could have escaped from breeding farms.
China’s Ministry of Agriculture supports widespread releases of farmed salamanders into the wild as a conservation measure. But the practice may do more harm than good. Researchers have found that the giant salamanders are not all one species, but could be made up of five to eight. Releasing amphibians into the wild without considering genetic differences could put their future at greater risk.
The giant salamander is listed as “critically endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and is protected in China. It is sometimes called “wa wa yu,” or “baby fish,” because its frightened call sounds like a baby crying.
