Chinese Giant Salamander

The generic name derives from Ancient Greek ἀνδριάς (andrias), "statue".

The Chinese giant salamander has a large head, small eyes and dark wrinkly skin. Its flat, broad head has a wide mouth, round, lidless eyes, and a line of paired tubercles that run around its head and throat. Its color is typically dark brown with a mottled or speckled pattern, but it can also be other brownish tones, dark reddish, or black. Albinos, which are white or orange, have been recorded.

The average adult salamander weighs 25–30 kg (55–66 lb) and is 1.15 m (3.8 ft) in length. It can reach up to 50 kg (110 lb) in weight and 1.8 m (5.9 ft) in length, making it the second-largest amphibian species, after the South China giant salamander (Andrias sligoi).

All species of giant salamanders produce a sticky, white skin secretion that repels predators. Because the skin of all salamanders is absorbent, human hands' oils, salts, and lotions can harm them. Try moistening your hands before attempting to move a salamander.

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The giant salamanders are not dangerous to humans. Giant salamanders can be larger than many adults, but they are generally not aggressive and rarely bite. Giant salamanders have toxins on their skin, but they are not severe enough to cause illness or death. However, the toxins can irritate the eyes or other mucus membranes if the salamander's skin is handled and then the eyes or mucus membranes are touched.

This species has traditionally been interpreted as a single geographically wide-ranging species distributed across multiple montane ecoregions and river basins (Yangtze, Yellow, Pearl, and southeast Chinese river drainages); however, it has recently been shown to constitute a complex of at least three different species including the South China Giant Salamander Andrias sligoi and at least one other undescribed taxon. This species is now considered to be native only to the Yangtze and Yellow River drainages in China and is associated with the Qinling, Dabashan, Zhongtiaoshan, Daliangshan and Wumengshan mountain ranges. It is known with certainty from Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and Chongqing municipality in China. Records from Daliangshan mountain range are uncertain, and further taxonomic work needs to be carried out to verify their identity. 

While this species has been reported from in the Qinling mountains of Gansu and Sichuan provinces, and the Nanling mountains of Guangxi Province, the taxonomic identity of these records remain uncertain. Clade C subpopulations represent a sister lineage to this species; however, these subpopulations might represent a distinct undescribed species, as phylogenetic analyses show a deep genetic divergence between these two clades. The Clade A subpopulation from the Nanling mountains in Guangxi Province is not sister to either of the described Chinese Andrias species and this subpopulation might also represent a distinct, undescribed, species. A giant salamander specimen was also reportedly collected in 1966 from the headwaters of the Yangtze River in Qumalai County, Qinghai Province, China at an elevation of 4,200 m asl; this potentially represents a disjunct, isolated salamander subpopulation occurring at an elevation >2,000 m asl, higher than any other known subpopulation. The existence of this subpopulation has not been confirmed, and its taxonomic status is uncertain.

For the purpose of this assessment, these records are included in the map but coded as 'Presence Uncertain'. It has also been introduced to Kyoto Prefecture in Japan, and possibly to Taiwan. Like its congeners, Chinese giant salamanders occurs in clear, cool, slow to swift flowing streams with a pH of 6–7 in steep-sided, well-vegetated valleys (including forest) that have caves in rocky banks and karst landscapes.

• Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Decreasing

• Population: ugh

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Taiga; Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Mountain; Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Subterranean River; Warm Pond; Cold Pond; Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Warm Intertidal; Cold Intertidal; Warm Ghost Town; Cold Ghost Town; Ruined Skyscraper.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (resident): China (Shaanxi, Sichuan, Gansu, Henan, Shanxi, Yunnan, Hunan, Chongqing)

  • Extant & Origin Uncertain: China (Guizhou)

  • Presence Uncertain & Origin Uncertain: China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, Qinghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi)

• Berbania/Hirawhassa: none

• Reinachos/Ityosel: none

• Thatrollwa: none

• Sawintir: none

• Agarathos: none

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Past and Present Incidents - Individuals

• Terran/Gaian

  • n/a

• Berbanian/Hirawhassan

  • n/a

• Reinachos/Ityoselese

  • n/a

• Delphian/Thatrollwan

  • n/a

• Sawintiran

  • n/a 

• Jotunheim

  • n/a

The Recollections of Queen Arianna - Individuals

• Terran/Gaian

  • n/a

• Berbanian/Hirawhassan

  • n/a

• Reinachos/Ityoselese

  • n/a

• Delphian/Thatrollwan

  • n/a

• Sawintiran

  • n/a

• Jotunheim

  • n/a

See also: none

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• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_giant_salamander

• https://animalia.bio/chinese-giant-salamander

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/179010104/48438418

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Chinese-Giant-Salamander-1141017683