Guaramacal salamander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Guaramacal salamander |
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The Guaramacal salamander (scientific name: Bolitoglossa guaramacalensis) is a special type of salamander. It's also called the holy-mountain salamander. This amazing creature belongs to a family of salamanders called Plethodontidae. You can only find it in one place: the Cordillera de Mérida mountains in Venezuela. This means it is endemic to that area, so it lives nowhere else in the world. The salamander gets its name from where it was first found, a place called Guaramacal in the Trujillo region.
What Does It Look Like?
Scientists have studied a few Guaramacal salamanders to learn about them. Adult male salamanders are about 48 mm (1.9 in) long from their snout (nose) to their vent (where waste leaves the body). Female salamanders are a bit bigger, measuring between 60–69 mm (2.4–2.7 in) long. Their tails can be a little shorter or longer than their bodies.
Their hands and feet have some webbing, like a duck's foot, but not completely. The back of the salamander, called the dorsum, is usually very dark. It often has lighter reddish-orange or pale yellow spots or stripes along its body.
Where Does It Live and How Is It Protected?
The Guaramacal salamander lives in cloud forests. These are special forests found high up in the mountains, usually between 1,800–2,400 m (5,900–7,900 ft) above sea level. Cloud forests are often covered in mist or clouds, which keeps them cool and wet.
This salamander mostly lives on the ground, often found on rocks. Sometimes, it can be found living inside bromeliad plants, which are plants that grow on trees and collect water in their leaves. Even though this salamander is common in its small home area, its limited range makes it vulnerable. This means that if something bad happens in its small habitat, like a big storm or changes to the forest, the whole species could be at risk. Scientists are working to protect these unique cloud forests to keep the Guaramacal salamander safe.
