![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Andrias_japonicus_pair.jpg/640px-Andrias_japonicus_pair.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Giant salamander
Family of amphibians / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Giant salamander?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Cryptobranchidae (commonly known as giant salamanders) are a family of large salamanders that are fully aquatic. The family includes some of the largest living amphibians. They are native to China, Japan, and the eastern United States. Giant salamanders constitute one of two living families—the other being the Asiatic salamanders belonging to the family Hynobiidae—within the Cryptobranchoidea, one of two main divisions of living salamanders.
Giant salamanders | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Andrias japonicus | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Urodela |
Suborder: | Cryptobranchoidea |
Family: | Cryptobranchidae Fitzinger, 1826 |
Genera | |
The largest species are in the genus Andrias, native to east Asia. The South China giant salamander (Andrias sligoi), can reach a length of 1.8 m (5.9 ft).[1] The Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) reaches up to 1.44 m (4.7 ft) in length, feeds at night on fish and crustaceans, and has been known to live for more than 50 years in captivity.[2]
The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) inhabits the eastern United States and is the only member of the genus Cryptobranchus.