News from the zoo: Giant salamanders can be observed in a new enclosure
Vivarium now one room larger
The new facility for giant salamanders and mud devils can be visited from Saturday. This means that the vivarium at Chemnitz Zoo, which previously consisted of three differently air-conditioned rooms, has been extended by one room.
This has improved the housing conditions for the two Chinese giant salamanders and two mud devils, who now have more space and more interesting structures at their disposal. The design of the new vivarium room sets it apart from the others: The four tanks are not located in a shelving system, but together form a curved enclosure with a rear wall modelled on a bank wall. This is made of glass fibre reinforced plastic, which was used in the zoo for the first time.
Zoo director Anja Dube: "The realisation of the new facility was made possible because the zoo's sponsoring association, Tierparkfreunde Chemnitz e. V., contributed 55,000 euros. This was used to finance the pool and its substructure, among other things. The zoo would like to express its sincere thanks for this."
Chinese giant salamanders live in cool, clear and oxygen-rich watercourses in central China. The species is threatened with extinction due to progressive habitat loss and direct hunting. Chemnitz Zoo is one of the few institutions in the world that keeps this species.
Adult giant salamanders practise skin respiration - they absorb most of the oxygen they need through their skin. The lungs mainly serve as a swim bladder.
Their diet includes almost all aquatic animals that are small enough to be sucked in by suddenly opening their mouths (insects, fish, crustaceans, etc.).
The mud devil is found in running waters with stony bottoms in eastern and central America. It feeds mainly on crayfish, but also on fish, insects and other amphibians. The population of the mud devil is also declining, even if it is not yet classified as endangered.