As we all know, marine animals first appeared on the earth, followed by amphibians, followed by dinosaurs and humans. Therefore, amphibians, such as pan fish, can be said to be the ancestors of humans. Up to now, amphibians have become very few, among which the most rare is spiny newt. At present, its number is only 1590, comparable to that of giant pandas! 1、 The world's rarest amphibian, Acanthostega
Acanthostega is a unique animal in China. It was born 15 million years ago. It is an existing amphibian and is known as a living animal fossil. Because the population of echinolotl is only 1590, comparable to the giant panda, echinolotl is the most rare amphibian in the world, and was rated as' extremely dangerous' in the red list of biodiversity species in China in 2016.
1. Shape
Acanthostega is a transitional product from fish evolution to amphibian, so it has many fish characteristics: gills, fins and senses that can only function in water. It also has amphibian characteristics: it has front and rear limbs, but each limb has 8 toes.
2. Living habits
At first, biologists thought that spiny salamanders rarely left water in their life, but fossil studies showed that spiny salamanders could hold their heads up with their forelimbs for breathing, just like giant salamanders. In addition, Acanthostega lives in the forest and is concentrated near the farming area. It hides under fallen leaves, trees or stones during the day and goes out for food at night or in cloudy and rainy days. It feeds on earthworms, snails, small snails and centipedes.
Reproduction: the hibernation period of spiny newt is from late November to march of the next year, and the reproduction period of spiny newt is from April to May. The time required for egg hatching is about 40 days, while the hatchlings must live in the water for 58-88 days until their limbs and toes are developed, their fins and gills degenerate, and their skin is rough. They go ashore and never enter the water again.
3. Artificial cultivation
The population of Acanthostega is scarce, and it is facing unprecedented environmental pressure. In this regard, the experts exhausted their mind and finally paid off their efforts. After 10 years of research and experiments, Zhenhai echinolotl, an endangered species comparable to pandas, was successfully bred in Beilun, Ningbo in 2018!
Summary: About spiny newt, Xiaobian introduced it here. I believe everyone knows this lovely animal! Many animals on the earth are on the verge of extinction, which is a loss for human beings. Therefore, the success of artificial cultivation of spiny newts is really a great joy. I hope experts can make persistent efforts to keep more fast perishing animals!