Salamanders are a fascinating group of amphibians found across the northern hemisphere. With over 700 species salamanders display a huge diversity in their appearance habitat, and lifestyle. In this article, we’ll take a look at the major types of salamanders and what makes each one unique.
Cryptobranchoidea – The Giant Salamanders
The Cryptobranchoidea are the largest and most primitive salamanders. There are only two families in this group – the Cryptobranchidae (giant salamanders) and Hynobiidae (Asiatic salamanders).
The Cryptobranchidae includes hellbenders and Chinese giant salamanders. These are the largest salamanders in the world, reaching lengths over 5 feet! They have drab coloration and a large, flat head with lidless eyes. Giant salamanders are completely aquatic and have external gills as adults. They live in fast-flowing streams and rivers across eastern Asia and eastern North America.
The Hynobiidae contains around 50 species of smaller, stream-dwelling salamanders from Asia. They have lungs as adults but retain some external gilling. Hynobiids are up to 20 inches long and have gold, brown, or black coloration with lighter bellies.
Salamandroidea – The Advanced Salamanders
The Salamandroidea make up the bulk of salamander diversity, with around 500 species divided into 6 families.
The largest family is the Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders), with over 400 species As their name suggests, these salamanders lack lungs as adults and breathe through their skin and tissues lining the mouth. Most are terrestrial and found in North and South America Plethodontids are generally small, around 2-6 inches long. They occupy a huge variety of habitats from rainforest to desert.
The Ambystomatidae (mole salamanders) includes around 35 species of stout-bodied, terrestrial salamanders from North America. They are capable of breeding in temporary pools of water. Some Ambystomatidae are neotenic, meaning they retain gills into adulthood. The tiger salamander is a common example.
Four other families – the Amphiumidae, Proteidae, Rhyacotritonidae, and Salamandridae – collectively contain around 60 species of generally larger, robust salamanders. They are found across North America, Europe, and northern Africa. Well-known members include mudpuppies, newts, and olms.
Sirenoidea – The Sirens
The Sirenoidea are represented today by just one family, the Sirenidae. Sirens are eel-like, aquatic salamanders with tiny forelimbs, no hindlimbs, and external gills. They inhabit murky waters across much of eastern North America. Sirens can reach up to 2.5 feet in length. They are the most basal living salamanders and retain a primitive body form.
From giant aquatic predators to tiny terrestrial forest-dwellers, salamanders occupy a stunning array of ecological niches across the northern continents. Their diversity showcases the remarkable adaptive abilities of these ancient amphibians. With new species still being discovered, the salamanders continue to astonish us with their variety and uniqueness.
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander
The ground color, covering the sides and part of the back, is usually a dark color and can be almost anything ranging from gray to brown, olive to dark-yellow, and even darkish orange. A lighter stripe, bordered with a very dark, sometimes black pigment, runs the length of the body and onto the tail. This stripe can also be a variety of colors including orange, yellow, gray, tan or red. The stripe is wide, straight-edged and accented with dark vee-shaped marks. The face is marked with a light line extending from the eye to the jaw. The tail is slender and rounded. Each side has 14 costal grooves.
Marbled Salamander
The body is dark gray to black, with bold white or silvery crossbands. On the female these bands tend to be a bit more gray. Occasionally the crossbands run together on the sides, encasing a black area within a striking outline of white. The belly is black and unmarked. The marbled salamander has 11 or 12 costal grooves on each side.
The marbled salamander adapts to a variety of habitats encompassing woodlands and low, swampy areas to relatively dry hillsides. Sandy, even gravel-laden, terrain supports the marbled salamander, which prefers a drier habitat than other members of its genus.
ALL THE KINDS OF SALAMANDERS IN THE WORLD! | Scratch Garden
FAQ
What is the most common salamander?
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National Park Servicehttps://www.nps.govSalamanders – Prince William Forest Park (U.S. National Park Service)Jul 27, 2018 — Eastern Red-Backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus The most common salamander in our area is the eastern red-backed. Although many in number, this sp…
What do salamanders turn into?
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Young salamanders, similar to tadpoles, start their lives in water, possessing feathery gills for breathing underwater.
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As they mature, they undergo a transformation, losing their gills and developing lungs, legs, and eyelids, adapting to a terrestrial lifestyle.
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The adult salamander is a land-dwelling amphibian, capable of breathing air and moving on land, though many species return to water to breed.
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Some salamanders, known as newts, have a more complex life cycle, with three distinct stages: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (eft), and adult, with some returning to water to breed.
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Some salamanders, like lungless salamanders, skip the larval stage entirely, developing directly from eggs into miniature versions of the adult.
Is it good to have salamanders around your house?
Salamanders are both a predator and a prey species, making them an essential link in the food chain in most forest ecosystems. They are ferocious predators of insects and arthropods making them a natural pest control.
Is A Axolotl A salamander?
The axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum, is a type of salamander that doesn’t go through metamorphosis. Salamanders are amphibians that, like frogs and newts, start off living in the water. Salamanders usually go through a process called metamorphosis to become adults – like a tadpole transforming into a frog.
What is the size of salamanders?
Most salamander species are a few inches long, but some can grow up to 5-6 feet. The Chinese giant salamander is considered the largest. Below is a list of all the extant types, except those in the Salamandridae or true salamander family, which are known as newts.
Where can you find this salamander species?
The species can be seen in upland streams, far from suburban areas and crops. The species has a few distinctive traits such as a shiny brown body and low mobility. Salamanders of the species are known for having one of the most varied diets in the Plethodontidae family.
What are the two groups that salamander species are categorized under?
About 550 existing species of amphibians are categorized under the common name of Salamander. The extinct species are grouped under Caudata and the extant ones are grouped as Urodela. All of the species under the genus of Salamander have almost similar physical appearance and prefer similar habitats as well as many habits.
What is the largest species of salamander?
The largest species of salamander are found in the families of giant salamanders, sirens, Congo eels, and Proteidae. These species are aquatic and obligate paedomorphs. Some of the largest terrestrial salamanders, which go through full metamorphosis, belong to the family of Pacific giant salamanders, but they are much smaller.
What is the order of salamanders?
There are about 740 living species of salamanders, organized into ten families within the order Caudata. Salamanders are characterized as amphibians with four legs, tails about as long as their body, and moist skin.
How many species of salamander exist?
There are about 760 living species of salamander. One-third of these are found in North America, with the highest concentration in the Appalachian Mountains region, where the Plethodontidae are thought to have originated in mountain streams.