A Chinese giant salamander, the largest

ZHANGJIAJIE, CHINA: A Chinese giant salamander, the largest in the world, which can grow up to 1.8 meters in length, lies in a glass enclosure during the China International Conservation festival in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan province 10 December 2005. Chinese authorities are now taking steps to protect this species of salamander, which are threatened by hunting, as its flesh is a delicacy in Asia, and is also caught for the pet trade, while building of dams in China over the years has also changed the natural river flow in some areas, threatening the natural habitat of the Chinese giant salamanders. AFP PHOTO/GOH CHAI HIN (Photo credit should read GOH CHAI HIN/AFP via Getty Images)