Interbreeding Hybrid Giant Salamanders Are Creating A Very Sticky Situation For Conservationists: Escapees of the restaurant trade are making things tricky for the conservation of giant salamanders. (Tom Hale, 10/02/25, IFL Science)
Scientists have noted how these two species managed to “hit it off” and started hybridizing in Japan’s streams. In a 2024 study, researchers collected 68 samples from giant salamanders in the Kamogawa River of Kyoto, as well as several samples from private collections, aquariums, and zoos throughout Japan.They found that some of these individuals were hybrids of Japanese giant salamander and Chinese giant salamander, created by the two species interbreeding. In some cases, it appears that hybrid offspring also mated with each other or others from the “genetically pure” populations, creating an even deeper mix of hybridity and gene mixing.