American Giant Salamander

American Giant Salamander

American Giant Salamander is a amphibian that live in north America's swampland.  The American giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) can reach a length of 1.8 m (5.9 ft).

Etymology

The family name is from the Ancient Greek krypto ("hidden"), and branch ("gill"), which refer to how the members absorb oxygen through capillaries of their side-frills, which function as gills.

Physical description and feeding

The American giant salamander eats aquatic insects, fish, frogs, crabs, and shrimp. They hunt mainly at night. As they have poor eyesight, they use sensory nodes on their heads and bodies to detect minute changes in water pressure, enabling them to find their prey.

Reproduction

 The male fertilizes the eggs externally by releasing his sperm onto them, and then guards them for at least three months, until they hatch. At this point, the larvae live off their noticeable stored fat until ready to hunt. Once ready, they hunt as a group rather than individually.

PREY AND ENEMIES

prey

enemies

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