Backyard Science - Slender Salamanders
Sometimes, even your own backyard can reveal some of the most rare and elusive of species!
#BackyardScience was created to showcase all the amazing discoveries you can make from the safety and comfort of your own home during this time of social distancing & quarantine. It's been incredible discovering so much about nature that I frequently overlooked or just walked right past outside my door. My second episode of this series led me to making one of the unique finds that I ever could've imagined.
Growing up, I always had a love for amphibians. Exploring my neighborhood pond put me up close and personal with frogs & toads. However, being in my new environment in the middle of the big city, it seemed like access to this type of nature would involve me traveling miles away. Little did I know, an incredibly rare species of amphibians was thriving just right outside my window. Here are a few incredible facts about the Garden Slender Salamander:
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No Lungs! Garden Slender Salamanders don't breathe through lungs like most vertabrates. Instead, they filter oxygen through their skin!
Breakaway Tail! Much like lizards, salamanders can lose their tails as a self defense method!
Stay Wet! Though these salamanders don't live in a pond or stream in your backyard, they do need moist & wet conditions in order to survive. Thus, they can typically be found under logs & debris in damp environments.