Autodax: Feeding in Cryptobranchus alleganiensis

Cryptobranchus is a member of the Cryptobranchidae, which also includes the largest amphibians in the world, the giant Japanese and Chinese salamanders of the genus Andrias. Feeding in these species is by suction, as in larval salamanders. Suction is produced by ventral movement of the throat. This movie shows a large Cryptobranchus alleganiensis snapping at air bubbles. You can see the outlines of the hyobranchial apparatus quite well through the loose skin.