World's Largest Amphibian Studied: 3D Model Shows How This Creature Captures Its Prey

Researchers from the Institut Català de Paleontologia, Spain and colleagues created a 3D model of the endangered Chinese giant salamander to reveal just how the creature feeds on prey. The animal captures prey that is quickly scooped up in front of it. However, it can also survey the area for any quick food that might be on approaching nearby on the side.

"The position where the prey comes into contact with the skull and jaw of the salamander shows us that there are some areas that are better than others when biting, being optimal when they bite with the anterior part on the snout," said lead study author Josep Fortuny. "Possibly, when the prey is situated in a less optimal position the animal has to bite twice: one to catch the prey and again to put in a frontal position." 

The animal feeds on crustaceans and worms, but amphibians, fish and other small mammals too while it sits and waits for them to come on by.

The study authors created a 3D model to help better explain the proper feeding mechanisms that are oftentimes poorly understood by the endangered salamander and extinct amphibians. During the study, they modeled the biomechanics of the bite from 3D CT-scan images of the skulls and applied a numerical technique known as the finite element analysis to aid in the non-invasive investigation of distribution of forces within the skull.

Findings revealed that the salamander fed primarily on prey that were located in front of it but also on the side by hitting nearby creatures with one side of its mouth. Then, the salamander would pull it back with its upper jaw to gain a stronger bite, preventing the prey from escaping.

Researchers believe part of the trapping process has something to do with the salamander's skull architecture, which "lacks a bony bridge between the posterior end of the maxilla and the anterior quadrato-squamosal region, which is typical of most salamanders," according to a news release.

A future understanding of how the species hunts opens a better understanding of the creature's biology but also how now extinct amphibians once fed.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal PLOS ONE.