Traveling in Baofeng Lake and getting into the Golden Whip Stream at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, you can see Giant Salamander,  one of the most famous wild animals in Zhangjiajie.

Chinese Giant Salamander  (scientific name: Andrias davidianus) is mainly distributed in the mountainous streams of Yangtze River, Yellow River and the middle and upper reaches of the Pearl River, especially in Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Henan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Chongqing.

Chienese Giant Salamander is the world’s largest surviving amphibian species, reaching a maximum length of 1.8 m and a weight of 50 kg. It is  also known locally as baby fish as it supposedly makes a sound resembling a baby’s crying. And it is also known as ‘Zhu Bu Chi’ (pig not eat); in 1960s even pigs refused to eat CGS during a period of starvation in China.
 

Giant Salamander  is the top endemic predator feeding on insects, frogs and fish. Part of an ancient amphibian lineage dating back 170 million years, it earns the moniker “living fossil”. It is critically Endangered and is currently on the brink of extinction.

Giant Salamander lives in cool mountain streams in steep valleys with forest. The breeding season is July & August. Females can lay hundreds of eggs in underwater “dens”.Eggs are guarded by the male “den masters”, he cares for the eggs until they hatch 1-2 months later.

The species of Giant Salamander has a  high economic value, leading to unsustainable and unregulated harvesting from the wild. To meet demand from a developing domestic market, an intensive salamander farming industry has spread across much of the range of the species; this has become a key aspect of the rural economy in certain range provinces.

This species of Giant Salamander is farmed for its meat, there are more than 2 million salamanders on farms across China. This species  is eaten and its body parts have been used in traditional Chinese medicines. The Impressional  Giant Salamander is the most famous restaurant to offer  Giant Salamander Dishes.

The species of Giant Salamander is culturally significant; legend has it that the Yin and Yang symbol is based on a black and a white Chinese giant salamander. Dragons are often associated with waterfalls in Chinese mythology, could the Chinese giant salamander be the dragon of legends?

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