Prague Zoo claims 1.58m-long salamander is longest in the world

Meet Karlo, a Chinese giant salamander (andrias davidianus) residing in the Czech Republic's Prague Zoo, and believed to be the longest of its species on Earth.

According to online reports, the zoo says that its latest measurements found the creature to be 1.58 metres long.

The Chinese giant salamander is the largest amphibian on the planet, and can grow to 1.8 metres in length and weigh up to 50 kilograms, the BBC reported.

Karlo weighs 35 kilograms, and its age is estimated to be between 37 and 38 years.

According to the Associated Press, the zoo said that worldwide checks did not reveal any living salamander that was longer.

The Chinese giant salamander is an endangered species, as it is captured for food and traditional Chinese medicine.

Karlo is the second giant salamander to make the news recently. Last week, another salamander that experts said could be more than 200 years old was discovered in the wild in southwestern China. That salamander, however, measured just 1.4 metres in length.

seanyap@sph.com.sg