Chinese Giant Salamander, Andrias davidianus Video

[AaronK]

Hello
I recently had the privilage to visit Ocean Park located in Hong Kong. They have a Chinese Giant Salamander as a resident in the Amazing Asian Animals exhibit. The local newspaper ran a front page article on it as it just opened that day and featured a group of Red Pandas. We were lucky enough to witness the feeding of this very large salamander.



I have a few more stills I will upload soon.

 

[Otterwoman]

What was that it was being fed? It looked like a gigantic shrimp. Do shrimp even get that big?

 

[aramcheck]

What was that it was being fed? It looked like a gigantic shrimp. Do shrimp even get that big?

I beleive it is a Tiger Prawn (Panaeus monodon) (unfortunatly, the mass farming of this species is a major cause of mangrove destruction)

 

[AaronK]

Tiger Prawn is correct, it was larger than my fist. Here are some pictures.

 

[Azhael]

Why feed it marine shrimp?? It´s not like fresh water fish are difficult to find or anything....

 

[ferret_corner]

Maybe the shrimp was a tempting treat to get it to move or come out for the photo op or display?

LOL I do the same thing for my geese, use a treat to get them to be more docile for visitors....

 

[TheDoyel]

Nice video and pictures! Both the Chinese giant salamanders (andrias davidianus) and the Japanese (andrias japonicus) have always been a fascination of mine. I really hope the new push on conservation efforts can help save these creatures.

 

[Mac Myers]

That was amazing. These animals have always fascinated me. I don't really understand the food choice but I'd love to know if there is a reason why they think it's a good idea/OK.