Zeng YunhuaThe staff inspects the salamander. Photo by Zeng Runhua

Recently, villagers in Tangfang Town, Guangchang County, found an adult giant salamander (commonly known as "baby fish") in a stream in the Fuheyuan Provincial Nature Reserve in Guangchang and immediately reported it to the relevant departments.

In order to further grasp the physical condition of this salamander, the staff of the county's agriculture and fisheries department inspected the salamander and confirmed that the salamander was an adult, with a body length of 4 cm, a head width of 0 cm, a chest circumference of 0 cm, a fin width of 0 cm, a weight of 0.0 kg, and good health, without any external injuries. "This salamander met the conditions for release, so we chose a water area that is more suitable for the growth of salamander and released it." Yao Liping, director of the Animal Husbandry and Aquatic Products Extension Station of Guangchang County Agriculture and Rural Bureau, said that the baby fish is known as the "giant panda in the water" and "the living fossil that can swim", is a national second-class protected animal, and is also a unique national treasure species in China.

In recent years, the county has continued to strengthen the protection and restoration of the ecological environment, the local water quality has continued to be excellent, the forest coverage rate has increased year by year, and the results of biodiversity conservation have been remarkable. As an extremely sensitive "ecological indicator", the salamander was found in the waters of the county, which fully confirms the integrity and health of the local ecosystem, and highlights the remarkable results of biodiversity conservation.