| Temperate woodland salamanders are nocturnal and usually take shelter under logs and rocks. This makes them rather difficult to observe. Salamanders are also completely quiet, making no vocalizations at all which could indicate their presence. The red-spotted newt has a different pattern of metamorphosis than the other amphibians. It has an aquatic larval stage, which is normal for amphibians, but it is also aquatic as an adult. In between the larval and adult stages is a terrestrial juvenile stage. The red-spotted newts change from being aquatic larva to being terrestrial "red efts", which is the name for animals in this juvenile stage. Individuals can remain in this intermediate terrestrial stage for up to nine years, before undergoing metamorphosis again and becoming aquatic adults. |
Salamanders live in shady areas where they can stay moist at all times. Photo credit Corel Photo Clipart CD. |
| Many salamanders have another unusual feature: they live on land, they breathe air, but they have no lungs! These animals live in moist, shady areas near ponds or other sources of water. They usually remain under leaves and decaying wood, and avoid staying anywhere open and dry. | Their skin has to remain moist at all times, because this is how they breathe. The moist skin of these lungless salamanders works as a membrane for gas exchange, but if the skin dries out, air can no longer move through it. The lungless salamanders suffocate if their skin doesn't remain moist. |
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