The ancestors of the Xinjiang giant salamander lived 24,000 years ago, at the same time as the Jurassic dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Later, as the earth's crust rose and the lakes dried up, they were squeezed into the stratum and became extinct paleontological fossils in history. What makes people feel rare is that some giant fish survived in Tacheng and Wenquan County, Xinjiang. Only with the change of living environment, the giant fish in Xinjiang are much smaller than their ancestors. 400 million years ago, the giant fish was more than 40 cm in size, while the modern giant salamander was only 10 cm at most. The giant salamander in Xinjiang belongs to Amphibia, Anura, with a length of only 6-8 cm and a weight of several grams. Its body is slender and smooth, its head is round and flat, its skin is smooth and soft, it has limbs, and its appearance is very similar to that of a quadruped snake, but its limbs are short and weak, so it can hardly support its body, so it lives in water most of the time.

Although it is short, its organs are more perfect than ordinary fish. It has lungs in its chest and can breathe on land, so it belongs to amphibians. The wonderful thing is that the skin is also its respiratory organ, which is very beneficial for it to hide in the water for a long time. In Sulubie Town, Wenquan County, the living environment of northern salamanders is also very limited. Only 20 hectares of streams and spring marshes have their traces. They dig holes under rocks or caves in the water. Occasionally climb to the shore, then push your body with your hind legs, shake your head and tail and crawl slowly, because your immature body is afraid of dryness, so it will soon return to the water.

In water, the giant salamander's body is much more flexible. At this time, their wide tails become the driving force for swimming. In order to reduce resistance, their limbs shrink tightly to their sides, and they swim much faster than on shore.

The giant fish will be mistaken for viviparous animals, but in fact its reproduction still depends on laying eggs, and there is no handover organ, and its mating and reproduction habits are basically the same as those of frogs. Hatched larvae are like tadpoles, with external gills, but more advanced than tadpoles, and balance limbs for balance. The main food of giant salamander in Xinjiang is insects, worms, eggs and aquatic plants. Because of his small size and slow movement, he can't catch big food. Because of poor self-defense ability, I hide in the gap during the day and come out at night.

The giant salamander in Xinjiang and the giant salamander in Shaanxi belong to the same species. However, due to the different geographical environment, the giant fish living in the north temperate zone is larger, while the giant fish living in the fresh water in the alpine mountain area is much smaller. The discovery and research of giant salamander in Xinjiang is a matter of recent years. It turns out that local herders have no idea what they are and call them "four-legged snakes living in water".

Giant salamander (Eriocheir Sinkiang) is the only remaining caudate paleontology in Xinjiang, and its number is very rare. According to relevant data, the total number of people is about 3000. Because it has neither edible value nor medicinal value, it has never been "concerned" by human beings. But as an endangered species, we need human beings to protect and care for them, so that this "fossil" fish can live in the same global village with human beings forever.