Fish and Amphibians

The giant salamanders of China—hulking amphibians that were once widespread across the country—are facing a dire conservation crisis . Prized for their meat and purported medicinal properties, the animals have been transported in droves to farms and virtually depleted in the wild. But conservationists may have to rethink their efforts to save China’s giant salamanders, which do not consist of a single species as experts have long believed. According to a new study published in Ecology and Evolution , there are in fact three species of Chinese giant salamanders, one of which may be the biggest amphibian in the world. Researchers behind the new report conducted genetic analyses of 17 historical museum specimens, which were collected before the mass relocation of giant salamanders began, and tissue samples from critters that exist in the wild. The team was able to tease out three distinct lineages that diverged between 2.4 and 3.1 million years ago, a period when the Tibetan Plateau wa...

This time of year, the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions typically peak as animals start migrating to winter habitat, mating season begins for deer and elk, and bears spend more time foraging before hibernation. To help reduce collisions, Caltrans and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) remind motorists to be on the lookout during Watch Out for Wildlife Week, which runs from Sept. 15 through Sept. 21. Watch Out for Wildlife Week marks the beginning of the migration season for California’s wildlife, particularly elk and deer. Many of California’s roadways cut through these animals’ routes. It is vital that drivers be especially alert now through December to avoid collisions with wild animals. These crashes not only harm wildlife, but they can damage vehicles and cause injury and death to drivers and passengers. “Caltrans is dedicated to improving the safety of California drivers, which includes being responsible when it comes to the environment,” said Caltrans A...

Two new species of giant salamander have been identified thanks to a recent analysis of early 20th-century museum specimens. One of the newly described species could hold the record as the world’s largest amphibian.  Chinese giant salamanders were once widespread throughout China but are now critically endangered. It was long assumed that all Chinese giant salamanders belonged to the species Andrias davidianus.  However, researchers from the Zoological Society of London and London’s Natural History Museum have discovered DNA evidence showing that this isn’t the case.  The researchers analyzed tissue samples from both wild salamanders and museum specimens.    The results of the DNA analysis revealed three genetic lineages in salamanders represented by separate species, Andrias davidianus, Andrias sligoi, and one species that has yet to be formally described.  This is not the first time that researchers have suggested that the species Andrias sl...

Background Every year, between May and October, floodwaters from the Lower Mekong Basin reverse the flow of the Tonlé River in Cambodia. That pushes sediment-rich waters into the Tonlé Sap Lake and its surrounding floodplains and forests, which support complex food webs, migration patterns and agricultural production. The process, known as the ‘Tonlé Sap pulsing system’, provides the region with the nutrients that sustain the largest remaining area of natural wetlands connected to the Mekong River. It supplies the food resources needed to support the three million people that live around the lake and in its surrounding area. During the wet season, Tonlé Sap expands to 60 times its normal size, to become the largest fresh-water lake in South-East Asia. There are concerns, however, that this phenomenon will not occur this year, as the regional ecosystem has come increasingly under threat from dry conditions and also upstream hydropower dams that affect sediment flow and water levels. ...