A detailed account of the rare protected animals in the Yangtze River - the Chinese Hynobius davidianus

Expert of this article: Liu Yadan, researcher, deputy secretary-general of China Agricultural International Exchange Association, national chief scientific communication expert

The small salamander may not be well-known in the animal world, nor does it receive much attention, but its uniqueness may be unmatched by other amphibians, because the small salamander is a four-in-one animal. It is said to be similar to the giant salamander or the immature giant salamander, but they are neither in the same family nor in the same genus; it is said to be similar to a lizard, but lizards belong to cold-blooded reptiles; it is said to be similar to a frog, but frogs do not have tails.

What kind of animal is the Hymenoptera?

The small salamander is an amphibious animal belonging to the genus Microhylidae of the family Microhylidae in the order Caudata of the class Amphibia. The small salamander is not exclusive to my country. There are more than 20 species of it in eastern Asia. In addition to my country, it can also be found in North Korea and Japan. Japan has the most species, about 17 species, and China currently has 11 known species. The Chinese small salamander is a species of the genus Microhylidae of the family Microhylidae that is unique to my country. It is 16 cm to 21 cm long, with a light yellow body, a light brown belly with black spots, a four-legged, flat head that appears larger than the body, and a thin tail like a blade at the end.

What does a small salamander look like?

As we said, the small salamander is a cute creature that looks like a strange beast. People are most likely to mistake it for the giant salamander that has not grown up. In fact, in addition to their different families and genera, there are still many differences. Although the small salamander and the giant salamander are both long-tailed animals, the ratio of their tails to body length is different. The ratio of the tail to body length of the small salamander is about 1:1, while the ratio of the tail to body length of the giant salamander is about 1:2; the limbs of the giant salamander are relatively short compared to their body size, not as symmetrical as the limbs of the small salamander; the same is true for the eyes, the small salamander has big eyes and a small head, and the giant salamander has a big head and small eyes. The body size of the small salamander is pocket-sized, and the largest one is generally no more than 20 cm, and some are less than 10 cm, while the giant salamander can reach 2 meters in length. This series of differences is not the same as the big-headed son and the small-headed father, but the obvious difference in body size between the two animals. However, the small salamander and the giant salamander are both amphibians that rely on lungs and moist skin to exchange air and breathe.

How does the Hyena live?

The small salamanders live in secondary forests, weeds and bushes with lush vegetation near ponds in mountain depressions at high altitudes. In the season of giving birth to children, they enter streams and ponds. The breeding waters are clear, and they hide under stones or in the shade of plant branches and leaves to mate and lay eggs. After that, they return to terrestrial life. Although the small salamanders are pocket animals, they are also carnivorous animals. Some small animals in the water, such as shrimps, insects, and worms, myriapod larvae, earthworms, and slugs on land are their food. We are generally talking about some large aquatic animals, such as cetaceans, sturgeons, etc., which are large carnivorous animals from ancient times. It is not easy to survive after going through hardships. But you may not know that among the Caudata, the small salamanders are even more primitive species. According to research, their survival history has been 300 million years. They lived in the same development era as dinosaurs and can be called the pocket version of dinosaurs at that time. Such a pocket-sized creature can survive and reproduce tenaciously until now after going through vicissitudes, which is shocking enough! Biologists' research on their survival methods has become a very valuable entry point for studying the history of paleontological evolution. It can be said that big animals have big survival methods, and small animals have small survival advantages.

How was the Chinese salamander discovered?

According to experts, the small salamanders found so far are mainly distributed in eastern Asia. The Chinese small salamander was previously mistakenly believed to be widely distributed, and the time of its discovery was also different. According to relevant reports, in 1889, a foreigner first discovered this small salamander in Yichang, Hubei, and named it "Chinese small salamander". After that, "Chinese small salamanders" were successively found in Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Guangdong. After further research, experts called the small salamanders found in Yiwu, Zhejiang Yiwu small salamanders, the small salamanders found in Anji Anji small salamanders, and the small salamanders found in Hunan Guabangshan small salamanders. They live in hills or hills. If it is not the season for love and childbirth, they mostly live on land, usually hiding in moist and loose soil, rotten leaves or under stones. Villagers in hilly areas can often dig small salamanders out of some rotten branches and leaves when arable land. On rainy days and in the evening, they will drill out of the ground to move around and forage. Like most amphibians, the Hypsilophis also reproduces by laying eggs. Please note: Hypsilophis is not a mammal! The basic reproduction method of mammals is viviparity, and they have well-developed lungs and breathe with lungs. Although Hypsilophis can also breathe with lungs after adulthood, their lungs are not well developed, so their breathing efficiency is not as high as that of mammals.

The Chinese salamander is a rare wild amphibian unique to my country. Due to its endangered status, it was listed in the "Red List of Endangered Animals in China" at the same time as the national treasure giant panda. Experts are still conducting further research on the distribution and number of Chinese salamanders in my country. One thing is certain: the number of Chinese salamanders in my country is still scarce. In particular, the expansion of human activities in recent years has destroyed and polluted the natural environment, which has also affected the living environment of Chinese salamanders. Their habitats are getting smaller and smaller, and the population is also decreasing. What's even more hateful is that some people actually sell Chinese salamanders as pets in flower and bird markets.

How to distinguish the Hypsilophis davidianus from other similar animals?

We say that the small salamander is a creature that looks nothing like it. Although it looks nothing like it, it does have some similarities. How do we tell the difference between them?

We have talked about the difference between giant salamanders and small salamanders above. The most similar to small salamanders should be salamanders. Their body shapes and sizes are relatively similar. To distinguish them, we mainly look at the color of the belly. The vermilion with black spots is the common salamander, and the yellow with black spots is the small salamander. It should be noted that most salamanders have beautiful and bright colors, but this beauty is poisonous! Salamanders use this bright color to warn enemies, so that those predators who are ready to move will stay away; the body shape of small salamanders is somewhat similar to lizards, but the body surface of small salamanders is not covered with scales, while lizards have hard scales; frogs and small salamanders also have many similarities. They are both amphibians, but frogs belong to the order Amphibian Anura. Tadpoles have tails, but when they grow up, the tail disappears, and strong limbs grow out!

Conservation status of Hynomalia davidiana

At present, all species of the family Hynobiidae are included in the list of key protected wild animals in China and are protected by relevant laws and regulations. The state has established the Jiangjun'ao Chinese Hynobiidae Nature Reserve in Changyang, Hubei, the Anji Hynobiidae National Nature Reserve in Anji, Zhejiang, and the Hynobiidae Nature Reserve in Qiyang, Hunan, etc., which have played an important role in the protection of various species of Hynobiidae in my country.

Although the small salamander is small, it is also a part of biodiversity and a living specimen for studying the evolution of prehistoric organisms. I hope everyone will know about and protect the small salamanders in my country, consciously stop the illegal capture and sale of wild small salamanders, and become a protector of ecological security.