Arboreal salamander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arboreal salamander |
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The arboreal salamander (Aneides lugubris) is a type of climbing salamander. It eats insects and lives in California and Baja California. You can usually find it in oak and sycamore forests, and in thick chaparral areas.
About the Arboreal Salamander
The arboreal salamander is about 6.5–10 cm (2.6–3.9 in) long from its snout to its tail vent. It is usually purplish-brown. Often, it has gold or yellow spots on its back, but sometimes it doesn't have any spots. This salamander has longer and sharper teeth than many other salamanders. Its tail can grip things, like a monkey's tail.
Young salamanders are dark. They have a grayish color and tiny yellow spots on their backs. Male arboreal salamanders have a wide, triangle-shaped head. Their front teeth stick out past their bottom lip. A large adult salamander can give a painful bite.
Life and Habits
This salamander is a great climber. It is also hard to catch! It is active at night. During the day and dry times, it hides in holes in oak trees. Many salamanders often share these tree cavities.
Arboreal salamanders live mostly in trees. They have learned to protect themselves when they fall. They can use their body to glide or parachute when falling. This helps them control their fall and avoid injury. Scientists think this skill developed over many generations.
Arboreal salamanders hatch from eggs. The eggs are laid and guarded in burrows. When they hatch, they are about 24 mm long. They become adults around 2.7 years old. On average, adult salamanders live for 8 to 11 years.
Breathing and Sounds
These salamanders are called plethodontid salamanders. This means they do not have lungs. Instead, they breathe through their skin and the lining of their mouth and throat. Because of this, they need moist places to live. They are most active when the air is humid.
They spend most of their time under leaves on the forest floor. In summer, they go inside tree holes to stay moist. These salamanders do not lose water from their bodies very quickly. This might be because they can quickly take in water. They also curl their body and tail tightly to save moisture. They can make sounds that some people compare to a faint barking dog.
Subspecies
In the past, scientists thought there might be different types of arboreal salamanders. These were called subspecies. They looked at differences in their genes and body shapes.
- Farallon Island salamander – A. l. farallonensis (Van Denburgh, 1905)
- A. l. lugubris (Van Denburgh, 1905)
However, these are not currently recognized as separate subspecies.
Gallery
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An adult arboreal salamander.
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An albino salamander found in Lafayette, California.
