Scientists have determined that a giant salamander previously housed at the London Zoo not only represents a newly discovered species — it’s also likely the largest amphibian known to man.
The finding is part of a new study published Monday in the scientific journal Ecology and Evolution. In it, researchers detail the realization that Chinese giant salamanders — previously thought to be one species — are actually a group of three related species.
The biggest of those species is the South China giant salamander. The newly named amphibians, usually found in China’s Pearl River system, can grow as large as six feet in length. That’s far bigger than other species of giant salamanders, which are usually less than four feet long.
“For me, the big take-home message is how shocking it is that [we are] just beginning to realize that world’s largest amphibians are actually multiple species,” Samuel Turvey, the study’s lead author, told the CBC.
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The largest South China giant salamander, which researchers said is likely the largest amphibian ever recorded, lived during the first half of the 20th century and was housed at the London Zoo for two decades.
Today, it may be difficult, or even impossible to find a similar animal. Chinese giant salamanders are heavily endangered, with Turvey telling the CBC that all three species “are on the very, very edge of extinction” and that some may already be extinct.
The London Zoo is still home to four, smaller versions of the animal though, which were acquired in 2016 after someone tried to import them illegally.
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