Telemetric Data Reveals Ecolgoically Adaptive Behavior of Captive Raised Chinese Giant Salamanders When Reintroduced into Their Native Habitat

摘要

Little is known about the ecology of the Chinese Giant Salamander(Andrias davidianus),a critically endangered species.Such information is needed to make informed decisions concerning the conservation and management of this species.Four A.davidianus raised in a pool were released into their native habitat on 04 May 2005 and were subsequently radio-tracked for approximately 155–168 days.Following their release,the giant salamanders traveled upstream in search of suitable micro-habitats,and settled after 10 days.Later,a devastating summer flash flood destroyed the salamanders' dens,triggering another bout of habitat searching by the animals.Eventually,the salamanders settled in different sections of the stream where they remained until the end of the study.On average,each habitat searching endeavor took 7.5 days,during which a giant salamander explored a 310 m stretch of stream with a surface area of about 1157 m2and occupied 3.5 temporary dwellings.Each giant salamander spent an average of 144.5 days in semi-permanent micro-habitats,and occupied territories that had a mean size of 34.75 m2.Our results indicate that the Chinese giant salamander responds to habitat disturbance by seeking new habitats upstream,both water temperature and water level affect the salamander's habitat searching activity,and the size of the salamander's semi-permanent territory is influenced by the size of the pool containing the animal's den.