Hydromantes: "Salamander with a ballistic tongue"

[TJ]

Here's an interesting article on this amazing critter that I haven't heard all that much about:

Salamander with a ballistic tongue
Deban, S. M., Wake, D. B. and Roth, G. (1997)
Nature 389, 27-28

http://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/wake/1997_Nature_ballistTongue.pdf

More information can be found at Deban's ultra-interesting salamander feeding movies site:

http://autodax.net/feedingmovieindex.html

And here's an article on ballistic tongue projection::

http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/full/205/15/2167

 

[richard]

Do all Eurycea use this Lunge/ballistic tongue hunting technique or is this limited to Eurycea Wilderae?

 

[cameron]

No. That is an amazing picture.

 

[russ]

I've watched H.brunus forage in the wild. The first time I saw one take a prey I about flipped. I think its tongue must have shot out 3 inches.

 

[chris]

lookin at the structual make made me think if he tries to eat a bird he's screwed!

 

[kristen]

These videos are amazing. The difference between larvae and adults is soo cool. Especially when I consider that despite larvae appearing to "suck" prey items in, they still occasionally eat terrestrial prey.