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What Do Chinese Giant Salamanders Eat?

Chinese giant salamanders eat a wide variety of food, such as worms, fish, frog, toads, tadpoles, mollusks, crustaceans, small mammals, insect larvae and aquatic reptiles. They may even eat carrion, eggs and their own skin after shedding. Some of them may be cannibalistic feeders. However, an adult Chinese giant salamander's diet primarily comprises of fish and crustaceans.

Feeding Method
- Although a Chinese giant salamander's teeth are small, there are many. The bite is strong and helps to grip the prey tightly. At the point where the upper and lower jaw meet, there are large elastic cartilages allowing the salamander to open the mouth wide to a 40-degree angle.
  
  The species uses asymmetrical buccal suction method to feed. The lower jaw depresses quickly and any prey in the vicinity is sucked into the mouth. They have weak eyesight and rely on smell and touch to locate prey. They are nocturnal and venture out of their hiding places to catch their prey.
Appearance
- Chinese giant salamanders are heavily built, with a broad and flat head, and a truncated snout. The eyes are round and small, and they do not have eyelids. The nostrils are close to the outer edges of the upper lip on two corners of the snout. This species of salamander possesses vomerine teeth, which are two small bumps on the palate, as well as maxillary teeth. The tongue is fairly large.
  
  The body is flattened just like the head, but the tail is broad and long. The tail is nearly 60 percent of the body's length. The skin is rough and porous with many wrinkles and small bumps. An adult Chinese giant salamander is about 3 feet long and can weigh more than 24.2 lbs, making it the largest amphibian in the world.
  
  They are black, dark brown or greenish, with irregular spots and blotches.
Habitat
- The species lives in rocky and mountainous streams and lakes where the water runs fast and is clear. They are generally found in forested regions at altitudes less than 4,500 feet above sea level. They live underwater in cavities and hollows.
Distribution
- Chinese giant salamanders are widespread across central, southwestern and southern parts of China. They live in the mountainous tributaries of Pearl, Yangtze and Yellow Rivers in altitudes between 300 and 4,500 feet above sea level. The species is present in Qinghai, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces and Taiwan.
Status
- Chinese giant salamanders are critically endangered as per the the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, due to over-harvesting for food and loss of habitat.

Animals & Science