Salamanders
By Cameron B.
Description:
Salamanders may look like lizards but really they are related to frogs and toads. People get them mixed up because they sort of look alike. One major difference between the two is that salamanders have smooth soft skin and lizards have rough skin. Most of the animals in the salamander order look like a cross between a lizard and a frog. They have moist and smooth skin like frogs and long tails like lizards. Salamanders have backbones, you couldn’t tell if you felt their mushy skin.
Habitat:
The spotted salamanders are commonly seen in New England and the eastern United States. People may use salamanders as pets, but unfortunately, people are the salamanders’ worst enemy because people are polluting and destroying the salamanders’ wetland habitats. All salamanders are carnivores but they are seldom in a hurry to eat their food. Salamanders depend on moisture for their existence because they have no skin covering; they dehydrate quickly in dry environments. All salamanders are predators; they eat slugs, earthworms, leeches, mollusks, crustaceans, small rodents, and frog’s eggs.
Fun Facts:
Salamanders are nocturnal except for some species during breeding season. Salamanders are protected in most states, but in some states they are legally used as bait for fishing. Salamanders are not harmful to any person or property but they will frighten anyone who is not familiar with them. One of the many salamanders is named a hellbender. It can grow up to 3 feet. Another salamander named the giant salamander grows to 5 feet.
Conclusion:
Hopefully you and I as humans can do something to help change the way people are destroying the salamanders’ habitats.
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