Saturday, November 09, 2013

Fire Salamander

 Fire Salamander. Had a chance encounter with it when we took a path less traveled, along the hills near Bad Urach, near Stuttgart, Germany. Lucky for us, Shilpa shrieked and spotted it on our walking path.


Salamander are amphibians, with moist skin used for respiration. Slow movers, use poisonous gland secretions to fend of predators, and a tail that breaks of and wriggles confusing the predator while a escape is made. The regenerative capacity of the tail, limbs, eye lens & retina has been a subject of research for replication in humans.


Found mostly in central Europe in moist conditions under leafy litter or under tree trunks. They live up to 20 years, and in one instance upto 50 years in captivity. Named by Linnaeus in 1758 as Salamander Salamander.


It moved slowly, and was getting into a tree-trunk/crevice, and soon curled itslef and was immobile for a while. A wet day, with a leafy undergrowth, and a path not used much.


Nov 9th 2013 @Bad Urach, 12 53 pm, along with Prasad Akula, Manas Mandal & Shilpa Shripad.

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