Researchers have found 95 hynobius arisanensis, a rare species of salamander endemic to Taiwan, in high-altitude habitats in Yushan National Park this year, park officials said.
The discovery of the group of amphibians, which have survived on Taiwan since the last Ice Age, was one of the largest in the country in recent years, officials said.
The research group led by Lu Kuang-yang (呂光洋), a life sciences professor from National Taiwan Normal University, discovered the species at an altitude of more than 3,600m above sea level in the first half of this year.
The number of hynobius arisanensis the researchers recorded at Yushan was almost twice the number found at the mid-altitude Tataka area, located between the Yushan and Alishan mountain ranges.
Alishan, with its highest peak reaching 2,663m, was where hynobius arisanensis — also known locally as Alishan salamander — were first discovered.
Officials said they have carried out long-term monitoring and research on the rare salamander to understand the effects of climate change on its environment in Yushan.
Taiwan is the most southerly habitat of the salamander in the world and now global warming threatens their survival at lower altitudes.
Su Chih-feng (蘇志峰), director of the park’s preservation office, said that a longer monitoring period was needed to determine if the salamander species did indeed move to higher altitudes because of global warming.
He said the number of salamanders had not decreased in the Alishan or Tataka regions.
Although researchers have so far only found the Alishan salamander species in Yushan Park, they have not ruled out the possibility of finding other salamander species there, as habitats in the park are diverse and well preserved, park officials said.
The Alishan salamander is restricted to Alishan, Yushan and Peitawushan in Taiwan and lives mostly in mountain streams, cold springs and water seepage areas in coniferous or broadleaf forests at 2,000m or higher.
Hynobius arisanensis is classified as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources’ red list of threatened species.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS