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They call them “river wolves” — hundred-pound salmon large enough to snack on ducklings and on mice and muskrats fording the rivers. Five species of these huge fish inhabit the river waters of China, Mongolia, and eastern Russia, and all of them are finally on the “red list” of species compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Newly added are the Sichuan taimen in China, listed as critically endangered; the Hucho taimen or Mongolian (or Siberian) taimen, listed as vulnerable; and the Korean taimen, listed as “data deficient,” meaning that far more information is needed on its status.

Taimen (pronounced tye-MEHN) salmon can grow to be six feet long. Aside from waterfowl and bite-size mammals, they will eat smaller Pacific salmon that share some of their rivers. They are also long-lived: researchers have found some that they estimate to be 30 years old. Since these animals are typically found in remote locations and are sparsely studied, it is possible that they grow to be much older.