Salamander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SalamanderTemporal range: Jurassic – Recent
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| A Fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) showing warning colouration. | |
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Caudata/Urodela
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Salamanders are amazing amphibians. They belong to a group called Caudata or Urodela. There are about 500 different species of salamanders around the world.
Salamanders look a bit like lizards. They have four legs and a tail. Many salamanders live in both water and on land.
Their life cycle starts in the water. They hatch from eggs as tiny larvae. These larvae have gills that stick out from their heads. Gills help them breathe underwater.
Most salamanders grow up and move to land. This change is called metamorphosis. Adult salamanders on land need moist places to live. Some salamanders, like newts, stay in the water even as adults. Others, like the Axolotl, keep their gills their whole lives. This is called neoteny.
Many salamanders protect themselves from predators. They can be poisonous to eat. If they are poisonous, they often have bright warning colouration. This tells other animals to stay away. If they are not poisonous, they usually use camouflage to hide.
Salamanders are special because they can regrow lost body parts. They are the only four-legged animals that can regrow a whole limb!
Contents
How Salamanders Breathe and Live
Salamanders breathe in different ways. It depends on where they live.
Breathing with Gills, Lungs, or Skin
Some salamanders breathe using gills. These gills often look like feathery tufts on the sides of their heads. They help the salamander get oxygen from the water.
Other salamanders have lungs, like humans. Their lungs are simple, sac-like organs. They use them to breathe air on land. Some salamanders, like the Olm, have both lungs and gills as adults.
Many salamanders can also breathe through their skin. This is called skin respiration. Tiny blood vessels in their skin pick up oxygen. This is why they need to stay moist. They can also breathe through the inside of their mouths.
Sticky Skin and Special Powers
Salamanders have skin that makes mucus. This mucus helps them stay wet when they are on land. It also helps them keep the right amount of salt in their bodies when in water. It even makes them slippery for swimming!
Their skin also has glands that make poison. This poison helps protect them from animals that might try to eat them. Some salamanders also make special chemicals called pheromones. These pheromones help them find a mate.
How Salamanders Hunt for Food
Hunting is very interesting for some salamanders. Many lungless salamanders have a super-fast tongue. They can "shoot" their tongue out of their mouth. It's attached to a special bone called the hyoid bone.
The tip of their tongue is sticky with mucus. This helps them catch insects and other small prey. Then, muscles pull the tongue and prey back into their mouth.
Some salamanders that live mostly in water don't use their tongues to catch food. Most salamanders have small teeth. They have teeth in both their upper and lower jaws. Even baby salamanders have teeth!
Salamander Senses
Salamanders have good eyesight. They can see colors, even in ultraviolet light. This helps them find their prey.
Salamanders that live underground have small eyes. Sometimes their eyes are even covered by skin. This is because they don't need to see much in the dark.
Some water-dwelling salamanders have a special organ. It's called a lateral line organ. It's like what fish have. It helps them feel changes in water pressure. This lets them know if something is moving nearby.
Salamanders don't have outside ears. They also have a very simple inner ear.
Regrowing Body Parts
Salamanders have an amazing ability. They can drop their tail if a predator grabs it. The tail will wiggle around. This distracts the predator. The salamander can then run away or hide.
Even better, salamanders can regrow lost body parts. If they lose a leg, they can grow a new one. This new leg will be perfect, just like the old one. This process only takes a few weeks!
Types of Salamanders
There are ten main groups, or families, of salamanders. They are divided into three larger groups called suborders. Let's look at some of them:
| Cryptobranchoidea (Giant Salamanders) | |||
| Family | Common Names | Example Species | Example Photo |
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| Cryptobranchidae | Giant salamanders | Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) | |
| Hynobiidae | Asiatic salamanders | Hida Salamander (Hynobius kimurae) | |
| Salamandroidea (Advanced Salamanders) | |||
| Ambystomatidae | Mole salamanders | Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum) | |
| Amphiumidae | Amphiumas or Congo eels | Two-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma means) | |
| Dicamptodontidae | Pacific giant salamanders | Coastal giant salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) | |
| Plethodontidae | Lungless salamanders | Red Back Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) | |
| Proteidae | Mudpuppies or waterdogs | Olm (Proteus anguinus) | |
| Rhyacotritonidae | Torrent salamanders | Southern Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton variegatus) | |
| Salamandridae | Newts and true salamanders | Alpine Newt (Triturus alpestris) | |
| Sirenoidea (Sirens) | |||
| Sirenidae | Sirens | Greater Siren (Siren lacertina) |
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Images for kids
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X-ray image of salamander
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Sirens have an eel-like appearance.
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The front part of the olm's head carries sensitive chemo-, mechano-, and electroreceptors.
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Biofluorescence can be observed across various salamander species
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Salamanders need moist environments to respire through their skin.
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The head of a tiger salamander
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A fire salamander's striking black and yellow pattern warns off predators
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Sierra newt amplexus found in stream at Woolman Semester in Nevada County, California
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The threatened hellbender
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Karaurus sharovi
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A salamander unharmed in the fire, 1350
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See also
In Spanish: Caudados para niños
