Strange behaviour in Laotriton laoensis

[Kamil]

Hi all,

today I saw something really strange at my Laotriton laoensis. My bigger female ate the skin from the body f my smaller female who just started shedding. You can see it on this video:

http://s.alamander.de/videos/laoensis.mov

Anyone of you seen something similar yet?

Best Greetings,

Kamil

[joost.v.wijk]

I've never seen this, but eating their own skin is very normal for newts. May-be this male likes the taste of it so much, he can't get enough of it.
Probably it's stimulans was the movement of the skin...

[Kamil]

Hi Joost,

yes I know that it is normal for newts to eat their OWN skin or loose skin that floats in the tank... But eating it from another animals body? The bigger (and eating) one is my female in breeding condition, the smaller one is the female who is not in breeding condition and gets bullied in a low degree by the other 1,1. So this is a pure female thing! The first bite was not into the loose parts at the headregion but into the back in the middle of the body - so there was nothing floating ;)

Best Greetings,

Kamil

[joost.v.wijk]

It could be a form of agression? Some Paramesotritons are this as well

[Kamil]

Hi,

I just found a similar behaviour (except eating of the skin) in Paul Bachhausens Breedingfilm! He calls it "Nippen", where the female kinda tries to bite a piece of the male! Wanna see it? -> http://salamanderseiten.de/paramesotriton/laoensis/Paramesotriton_laoensis.wmv

The thing about aggression is that nobody encountered L. laoensis as aggressive species yet!

Best Greetings,

Kamil

[petro pees]

I thougt that I was sending á message already,but  it's gone?
Wel again;
I saw this already two times happening by my Cynops chengonensis,i have two female's and both are laying eggs.
Thirst time the big one was eating the skin of the smaller one(Already hanging lose)
Second time vice verca,with the difference that the skin wash realy beeing eaten fom the body.(not hanging)
Petro

[Kamil]

Hello Petro,

thank you for this message! So this is maybe a thing of gravid animals then? I hae already thought of increasing the own reproduction-chances by getting more protein or lessening at least the chances for the animal the skin is stolen?

Best Greetings,

Kamil

[joost.v.wijk]

this biting (nippen) is also known to Cynops pyrrhogaster 'Kanto'. (Sparreboom 1982) This is also not agression. Probably it's something similar

[petro pees]

I realy never thougt about it,i just  thougt it' was normal behavior.
Just because I reconice it it came beg in my mind.
Petro

Hello Petro,

thank you for this message! So this is maybe a thing of gravid animals then? I hae already thought of increasing the own reproduction-chances by getting more protein or lessening at least the chances for the animal the skin is stolen?

Best Greetings,

Kamil