Some Interesting Facts About The Black Salamander
These slim-bodied creatures with triangular-shaped heads and long tails are none other than the black salamander. In Southern areas this type of salamander stays active throughout the whole year and can usually be found hiding under rocks or woodland debris.
In the Northern areas however, the black salamander goes through aestication throughout the dry season of April through October and then re-appear again due to fall rains. The black salamander primarily finds its home in coastal prairies and forest. Salamanders in the Southern regions prefer to dwell in moist woodlands and along streams while in the North they find nice grassy areas or moss covered rocks to live among.
The black salamander species have four toes located on their front legs and five toes located on their rear legs. Some species of salamander are completely aquatic through their life while others, like the black salamander only take to the water intermittently. Uniquely, they have the ability to regenerate lost limbs in addition to other body parts.
A mature black salamander has a body similar to a lizard. Their skin secretes mucus, allowing the animal to stay very moist, even while on dry land. The mucus also helps to maintain their balance of salt while they are in the water. They also can secrete poison from their glands and have skin glands to secret pheromones for courtship purposes. The tip of the tongue of the black salamander creates a mucus that sticks to its prey and the muscles located in the pelvic area aid in reeling the tongue back to the original position. It is interesting to note that they use tail autonomy in order to escape predators. The black salamander will run away while its tail is left wiggling around. It only takes them a few weeks to grow their tail back.
The life history of the black salamander is close to that of a frog. They fertilize eggs internally. The male deposits a sac holding sperm into the female's cloaca. The larval stage will follow and the organism is completely aquatic or fully land dwelling and it possesses gills but depending on the larval stage it might not have legs. This stage can last from days or years. Some species of salamander such as the black salamander won't even have a larval stage. Neotony has been known to happen in the black salamander where it can retain gills all the way until they reach sexual maturity.
Contrary to what is believed, the black salamander looks like a lizard but it is not even closely related to them. Its nearest relative is actually the frog. North America homes one third of all salamander species and the highest concentration of them are in the Appalachian Mountains.
There has been a decline in all of the salamander species that is caused by chytridiomycosis, a type of fungal disease. Researchers believe that change in climate and environment are to blame.
The black salamander as well as all salamander species have a numerous amount of legends surrounding them over many centuries that are related to fire. This is due to the history of salamanders dwelling inside of rotten logs. When the log is put in the fire, the salamander attempts to escape looking as though they were created by fire.
The black salamander is part of the Lungless Salamander family. They are generally native to Western hemispheres and they are the largest salamander group. They lack lungs and conduct respiration in their skin, this requires them to live around damp environments like caves, rocks and beneath logs. They have a low metabolism and usually prey on collembola for a food source. Surprisingly, the black salamander can live up to 25 years.