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Hellbent on supper

The hellbender newt lives in cold fast-flowing streams in North America. When young it feeds on insect larvae but as an adult it can grow to be more than two feet long, so must then hunt larger prey. Crayfish fit the bill, but they often escape with a convulsive snap of their tail that shoots them through the water. Both animals try to keep out of the current and habitually creep into crevices. It is in one of these crevices that the newt finally gets a crayfish, swallowing it whole.

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