Is the Chinese giant salamander a fish? One article clarifies its true identity

The scientific name of the giant salamander is Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus). The Chinese giant salamander is a precious wild animal native to China. Because its nighttime call sounds like a baby crying, it is commonly known as the “baby fish.” So, is the Chinese giant salamander a fish?

1. Is the Chinese giant salamander a fish?

The Chinese giant salamander is not a fish; it is an amphibian. In water it breathes with gills, and out of water it breathes with its lungs and skin. Its skin has only mucous membranes and no scales, and it often inhabits streams, ponds and similar places.

2. The Chinese giant salamander's eating habits

1. The Chinese giant salamander is naturally fierce and is a carnivorous animal. It eats fish, shrimp, crabs, snakes, rodents, shellfish and birds, among others, so it is very easy to feed.

2. The Chinese giant salamander is a carnivorous animal. It generally swallows food whole and then slowly digests it in its stomach, so it has a strong ability to endure hunger. Generally, when growing in clear water, it will not starve to death even if it does not eat for two or three years, but at the same time it can also overeat, and after overeating its body weight can increase by 1/5. In addition, when food is scarce, it will also eat its own kind, so enough food must be guaranteed when feeding.

3. The Chinese giant salamander has omnivorous feeding habits. Besides meat, it also eats artificially mixed feed, but generally its food intake is greatest when the water temperature is 18-23 degrees, and above 26 degrees its food intake gradually decreases. So in spring it can be fed once every four or five days, in summer once every two or three days, in autumn once every four or five days, and in winter once every week, and the feeding amount can be about 2-4% of its body weight.

3. The Chinese giant salamander's habitat environment

The Chinese giant salamander's life is rather unique. It generally lives in mountain streams, rivers and lakes with rapid currents, cool and clear water, lush aquatic plants, and many rock crevices and rock caves. Sometimes it also moves on land among tree roots or on fallen tree trunks, and chooses to live in caves at beach mouths with backflow. Each cave generally has only one Chinese giant salamander. The caves vary in depth, the cave entrance is slightly larger than its body, and the inside is spacious with enough room for it to turn around. The cave bottom is relatively flat or has fine sand.

Wild Chinese giant salamanders are Class II key protected animals in China and may not be captured, hunted, sold or eaten, but it is not illegal to eat artificially bred Chinese giant salamanders of the second generation or beyond, so everyone must pay attention when buying.