Internal structure of a salamander. Description of an animal called fire (spotted) salamander
Among the representatives of amphibians there are very unusual creatures, the appearance of which is very bright and memorable. These animals include the fire salamander, a tailed amphibian of the salamander family. The discoverer of this species is considered to be the scientist Carl Linnaeus, who discovered these creatures in 1758. Salamander, or fire lizard- an amazing representative of amphibians.
Appearance of a fire salamander
It is not for nothing that this representative of the salamander family received such a telling name, because it has an incredibly bright color. Its body color is black with bright yellow or bright orange spots. The average body length is 20 centimeters. The abdominal part of the body has a brown or black tint, sometimes with light splashes. The salamander's paws are small, short, but quite powerful. She has no webbing between her fingers.
The animal’s head is round, with two expressive black eyes located on it. The salamander also has special glands on its head that are responsible for producing poison. This poison is quite dangerous, in particular for mammals. It has a paralyzing effect. For humans, this toxic substance is not as dangerous as for animals; if suddenly the poison of a fire salamander gets on the human mucosa, it will only cause a burning sensation.
Some representatives have exactly a fiery color - bright red with black spots Where does the fire salamander live?
The habitat of this animal is quite extensive. The yellow-black salamander can be found in countries such as: Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Albania, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, Turkey, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Slovenia, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Poland , Croatia, Austria, Romania - that is, as you can see - this is practically the whole of Europe.
Animal lifestyle
The salamander chooses mixed and deciduous forests for living; it also settles along river banks and in the foothills. It happens that the fire salamander climbs into the mountains, but not higher than 2000 above sea level. Mainly, this amphibian leads sedentary image life.
IN ancient mythology Many peoples say that the salamander is born from fire. It is not true. However, the fact that this amphibian is lured by the smell of smoke is pure truth Its movements on the ground are slow, and in general the fire salamander moves little. The animal is most active at night. During the day, the salamander hides in old stumps, abandoned holes, under fallen trees, and in tall grass. So she avoids direct sunlight, which she does not tolerate well (since she is a cold-blooded animal).
From approximately mid-autumn to early spring, the fire salamander goes to winter. Its “winter” home is piles of fallen leaves. Sometimes several dozen of these animals gather and spend the winter together.
What does a fire salamander eat?
The main food for this amphibian are caterpillars, butterflies, spiders, various slugs, earthworms In addition, a fire salamander can catch and eat even a small newt or a frog.
Salamander Reproduction
Waking up after hibernation, the fire salamander begins to reproduce. Mating games in these animals they occur on land.
In males, a spermatophore is formed (a sac in which the germ cells are located), he “lays” it on the soil, and the female, pressing against this sac, produces fertilization. After this, some individuals lay fertilized eggs in the water, and some leave them inside themselves. Accordingly, fire salamander larvae appear either in aquatic environment, hatching from eggs, or directly from the mother’s body, through viviparity.
Little fire salamanders, having reached three years of age, become fully adult individuals and can reproduce independently. In nature, these tailed amphibians live approximately 14 years. But there is information about individual representatives who lived in captivity, whose age reached up to 50 years!
The salamander is a truly legendary amphibian. In almost all myths of any nation there is a mention of this creature. What kind of qualities were not attributed to her: the fact that she is immortal, and that her skin can cure all diseases, and that it is little Dragon a chick from which in a hundred years a fire-breathing monster will grow. ““Among all poisonous animals, the poisonous salamander is the most vicious. Other animals harm individuals, but do not destroy many at once; in addition, they say that, having wounded a person, they die and are no longer accepted by the earth; the salamander can kill entire nations if they are not careful. If a salamander climbs a tree, then all the fruits are poisoned, and those who eat them die from chills, as if poisoned by aconite. Even if you bake bread on wood that she has touched or the bark of which she has stepped on, it will be poisoned; the same thing will happen to water if a salamander falls into a well. If she splashes any part of the body or leg with her mucus, then hair will fall out from all over the body. However, such a poisonous animal is eaten by pigs, without presenting anything unusual to them.” - this is how the ancient Greek naturalist Pliny described this amphibian in 20 BC.
In German mythology, the salamander is the spirit of fire; According to the Greek belief, which came from the Middle Ages, it does not burn in fire, but, passing through it, extinguishes it. Of course, from the point of view of Christianity, the salamander is a messenger of hell.
Fiction and reality are closely intertwined when it comes to salamanders. Now, of course, they have been studied, but there is still some superstitious fear when you mention salamanders. This is also because these amphibians are poisonous, and the fear is very justified.
The spotted or fire salamander has parotid glands, which secrete toxic poison. The poisonous juice of this salamander protects it from attacks by other animals. If a dog eats it, it may die from poisoning. Salamander venom affects nervous system, paralyzing vital centers of the brain.
Salamanders are truly interesting animals. Thus, the salamander serves as the standard for limb regeneration. Her body is able to restore lost body parts throughout her life.
And recently, scientists discovered that the reproductive organs of salamanders contain algae DNA.
A salamander embryo under a microscope. Red dots - green algae
And these same algae, as was known before this discovery, enter into symbiosis with the eggs laid by salamanders, supplying the embryo with oxygen, and receiving nitrogen from the waste of the embryo.
Salamanders live in Western Ukraine, in the Carpathians, in North America and in the west of Asia Minor. She prefers clearings, meadows, wet deciduous and mixed forests, less often conifers. The most important living condition for it is moisture, so in dry weather the salamander feels unwell and may even die completely. This is a terrestrial animal, and the salamander swims very poorly. She spends the day in various shelters, in dark places, but she hunts in the twilight and night hours. It feeds mainly on earthworms, which it digs out of the soil. But it can also hunt large insects.
Its black body reaches 25 cm in length. The top of the salamander's scales is covered with bright yellow spots of irregular shape. Life expectancy is 20-25 years, records in captivity are more than 50.
In the foothills of the Carpathians you can find one of the most poisonous salamanders - the alpine black newt. It is smaller than other types of salamanders: only 10-12 cm. In most cases, Alpine newts live in societies in damp forests and gorges; they are very lazy and slow animals. Their glands secrete a secretion that causes a severe burn if it comes into contact with the mucous membranes of the eyes or mouth.
North American newts are truly poisonous. Not only the adults of these salamanders are poisonous, but also their eggs.
All salamanders are endowed with a special poison, which in chemistry is called salamander. It is quite toxic. Just one dose is enough to kill 15 guinea pigs. The poison causes convulsions, respiratory distress, cardiac arrhythmia and partial paralysis. But this is only if the poison gets inside.
When hunting, the salamander does not use its poison; it only needs it for protection. But if necessary, salamanders use it very skillfully: they spray poisonous drops at a distance of several feet.
The spotted salamander is a passively poisonous animal. Their poison does not act through the skin, and they do not have devices for introducing it into the blood. That is why the salamander does not pose a serious danger if you do not pick it up and certainly not drag it into your mouth.
The salamander is a large amphibian. Its relatives are the frog and the toad. But in appearance it looks like a lizard (which is a reptile). However, unlike a lizard, a salamander has no scales or claws, and its skin is always moist. The salamander secretes a poisonous liquid that protects it from predators. The salamander belongs to the tailed amphibians and is found in damp places.
The smallest salamanders are approximately 5 cm long, the largest reach 50 cm. The largest salamander in the world is the Chinese giant salamander. The length of its body can be almost 2 m.
Small animals that have tasted a salamander immediately die, and larger ones, having been poisoned, become seriously ill for a long time. It is impossible to get poisoned by the poison of this amphibian if you touch its body with your hands. However, if a person touches the salamander, and then touches the eyes, he can go blind!
Both aquatic and terrestrial salamanders need moisture to live and reproduce: the female lays eggs in water, and her larvae lead an aquatic lifestyle. Salamanders try to hide from the heat: they are mainly active at night, and during the day they hide in dark and damp places.
The age of puberty occurs at 3 years of age. Salamanders breed throughout the year, but more often in the spring. After internal fertilization, the eggs develop inside the female's body (ovoviviparity). Some species of salamanders are oviparous (they lay eggs).
10 months after fertilization, the female gives birth to 10 to 50 aquatic larvae in the water. As the larvae grow, they develop lungs. After 3-4 months, when the lungs are fully developed, young salamanders crawl ashore and become terrestrial animals.
If the animal fails to hide from the predator, the salamander leaves its tail in its claws and runs away. Soon her tail will grow back, but it will already be shorter than the previous one. Thanks to their poisonous secretions, salamanders have few enemies. Main danger- disappearance of breeding sites. This is due to economic activity people in the territories where these amphibians live.
All salamanders are predators. Salamander larvae eat tadpoles and other small aquatic invertebrates. Adult salamanders feed on insects, worms and snails. Salamanders benefit people. They feed on pests of gardens and vegetable gardens: snails, spiders, insects.
Salamanders most They lead a solitary life for the time being. However, on hibernation they go in groups. Some species can make specific sounds.
Aquatic salamanders
Some salamanders spend their entire lives in water. Many of them (not all!) retain gills throughout their lives. Entirely aquatic salamanders are found primarily in North America, Europe, and East Asia. These include the largest of all living amphibians. Cryptobranchidae, like giant ambystomata, belong to the family Cryptobranchidae. Proteas, amphiums, American proteas and sirenians belong to their own families. The giant salamander lives in water and comes up for air every 6-10 minutes. Axolotl - unusual representative mainly of the terrestrial family Ambystomidae. Whole aquatic salamanders should be kept in 21°C water, with plants and rocks to hide under, and a heavy lid to prevent escape. Aquariums should be cleaned frequently and filled with chlorine-free water.
Aquatic salamanders include:
1. Allegheny cryptobranch (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) inhabitant of the eastern United States. Size 76 cm, gray color, eats meat, fish, dog food. The depth of water in the terrarium is 30-46 cm.
2. European proteus (Proteus anguinus) inhabitant of southern Europe, size 30 cm, white color, eats tubifex and other worms. The terrarium requires shade and a temperature below 10°C.
3. Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) lives in Mexico, size 22.5 cm, color brown or white with large feathery gills. It loses them if you give the animal an extract of the thyroid gland and if it then lives on land, like other ambystomas, both forms can reproduce. Can live up to 20 years, eats worms, slugs, etc.
4. Amphiuma eel (Amphiuma means) inhabitant of the southeastern United States, size 76 cm, brown-black color, does not like bright light, bites, eats worms, fish, shellfish, etc.
5. American proteus (Necturus maculosus) lives in the east of North America, size 33 cm, brown color, with gills. Lives long, eats worms, meat, fish. An aquarium requires an air pump.
6. Great siren (Siren lacertina) inhabitant of the southeastern United States, size 76 cm, eel-like body, with gills and only forelimbs. Olive, grey. Eats worms and raw meat.
Land salamanders
Hardy terrestrial salamanders are among the most ornamental and popular amphibians that are easy to keep at home. Here we look at members of the family Salamandridae and Ambystomidae (ambystomidae). The fire and alpine salamanders give birth to live young - the first in water at a depth of 2.5 cm, the second on wet ground. Ambystoma usually lay their eggs in water.
1. The most striking species in Europe is the black and yellow fire salamander. Its color may vary depending on the region. The size, shape and number of spots are not always the same. Along with spotted salamanders, in Europe there are individuals with yellow stripes, and sometimes completely yellow. Fire salamanders from southern Europe may have red stripes, while other salamanders have red spots on their bellies. Fire Salamander also lives in southeast Asia, northern Africa.
Spotted fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra). Body length is usually about 20-22 cm; shiny, black with yellow or orange-red spots of irregular shape. On the head of the salamander, behind the eyes, on the sides of the body along the ridge, there are glands and pores that secrete a poisonous secretion.
Spotted salamander - characteristic appearance hilly terrain and mountain region, lives in wooded valleys with watercourses, avoids dry and open places. It is active mainly at night, and in rainy weather and during the day. The body is wet and cold, but at the same time searingly hot thanks to the neurotoxic poison that its glands secrete. The salamander cannot harm human health, although getting its secretions into the eyes, mucous membranes or unhealed scratches can cause a sensitive burning sensation and irritation.
The timing of mating can be greatly extended throughout the entire period of activity; internal fertilization: after a rather difficult marriage ritual and embraces, the male deposits a spermatophore - a mucous sac with sperm - on the soil. And the female presses her belly to the soil and captures the spermatophore with the cloaca. In most cases, females give birth to larvae (rarely eggs), place them in the oxygen-rich water of streams, where during their development - from two months to two years - they feed on small aquatic animals.
A moist, shaded aquarium with moss and a bowl of water is required for maintenance.
2. The Alpine salamander (Salamandra atra) lives in Europe. 16 cm in size. Live young are born on land. They feed on slugs and worms. Keep at home in cool conditions, overwinter.
3. Tiger Ambystoma (Ambystoma tigrinum) lives in the USA, body length 18 cm, dark color with pale brownish spots. Keep it at home like a fire salamander.
4. Marbled Ambystoma (Ambystoma oracitis) lives in the eastern United States, body length 11 cm, color black and whitish. Keep it at home like a fire salamander.
Lungless salamanders
Salamanders in the family Plethodontidae do not have lungs as adults and breathe through their skin and mouth. It is found almost exclusively in the New World big family The usually graceful, seemingly feeble creatures include both aquatic and terrestrial forms. The latter require moisture, coolness and insects for nutrition. Small representatives need live enchytraeids and Tubifex (tubifex).
1. Silver salamander (Plethodon glutinosus) lives in the eastern United States, body size 17 cm, black with spots, sticky skin. Eats tubifex, slugs, etc. Keep at home in cool, damp conditions.
2. Red false newt (Pseudotriton ruber) lives in the eastern United States, body size 15 cm, reddish color with black spots. Life requires coolness, moist moss, bark and shallow water.
3. The dark salamander (Desmognathus fuscus) lives in the eastern United States, body size 11 cm, brown or gray color, lives around mountain rivers.
4. Pacific salamander (Ensatina eschscholtzii) lives in the eastern United States, body size 14 cm, brown color with a pale belly, moist wooded habitats.
Fire Salamander
| Magnitude | Body length up to 28 cm |
| Signs | A long amphibian with a thick, rounded tail; skin black with yellow and orange spots and stripes |
| Nutrition | Worms, molluscs, insects and their larvae |
| Reproduction | Pairing in early spring and in summer; the female lays 30-70 larvae in shallow water; depending on environmental conditions, larvae develop into adults within several months or 2-3 years |
| Habitats | Lives in damp forests near streams, springs and ponds; with the exception of Great Britain and Scandinavia, distributed throughout Europe, as well as in North-West Africa and some areas of South-West Asia |
Salamanders - who are they: reptiles or amphibians? What does science say about these creatures? The first look at a salamander tells us that these creatures are relatives of lizards, but wait! Don't make hasty conclusions! After all, if lizards are reptiles, then salamanders are...
These are real amphibians! And frogs are much more “native” to them than the representatives of the suborder “Lizards” that are so similar to them. The closest relatives, from a scientific point of view, of salamanders are newts.
Salamanders are the most numerous group among all representatives of tailed amphibians.
By structure internal organs these animals are divided into lungless and pulmonary. In connection with this structure, the habitat also differs: the first category is exclusively aquatic, but the second prefers to combine a land lifestyle with a terrestrial one.
As already mentioned, the appearance of salamanders (especially pulmonary salamanders) resembles lizards: they have an elongated body, a long tail, short legs. In lungless salamanders, the tail and body have a highly elongated, serpentine shape. The eye of these animals has a movable eyelid, the body is covered with thin, very delicate skin, however, like all amphibians. For normal life, the salamander needs its skin to be constantly moisturized and covered with special mucus, otherwise the animal will have problems breathing, because these creatures breathe not only with their lungs, but also with the entire surface of their body. Speaking of mucus, in some species of salamanders it is poisonous, which makes these amphibians completely inedible and even potentially dangerous to other animals.
Salamanders can have any body color. Some species have very modest, inconspicuous skin, while other salamanders are endowed with bright “clothes”: red, yellow, orange, or a speckled pattern, which is also very expressive, such as.
The sizes of these amphibians vary; body length can range from 7 to 25 centimeters. Some species (for example, the Caucasian salamander) are capable of self-regeneration: that is, they can cast off a tail, which then grows back - this in some way makes them similar to lizards.
These animals live in North America, as well as in Eurasia. Most often, salamanders can be found in the waters of streams, in damp forests and even in dark caves.
By way of life, all salamanders are solitary. These animals go out in search of food after dark. When cold seasons arrive, salamanders (many species) hibernate. The main diet of salamanders consists of various insects.
About reproduction... Mating season occurs in salamanders with the arrival of spring. Fertilization in these animals is external, as is the case with other amphibians living on Earth. However, there are some differences between different types of salamanders. For example, pulmonary salamanders pull eggs fertilized by the male inside themselves, and release them out only when the maturation process is completed (sometimes this lasts 10 months). As soon as the clutch is laid again, larvae immediately emerge from the eggs. Outwardly, they do not look like their parents. But in lungless salamanders, on the contrary, the hatched larvae are just like adults (according to appearance). Lungless (aquatic) salamanders protect their clutches until the offspring hatch.
This is one of the most mysterious creatures Ancient world and the Middle Ages. The fire salamander was represented as a small dragon that lives in fire and embodies its spirit. Mentioned in the Natural History of Pliny the Elder, who says that the salamander itself is so cold that it can extinguish any flame as soon as it touches it.
“The most terrible of all animals is the salamander,” writes Pliny. - Others bite at least individual people and do not kill many at once, but a salamander can destroy an entire people without anyone noticing where the misfortune came from.
If a salamander climbs a tree, all the fruits on it become poisonous. If she touches the table on which bread is baked, it becomes poisonous... Immersed in the stream, she poisons the water... If she touches any part of the body, even the tip of her finger, then all the hair on her body falls out..."
In alchemy, the salamander is the spirit of the element of fire, just as there are spirits of the other three elements - earth, water and air.
Where did this legend about a fiery creature come from? In the Hebrew legend “The Gates of Heaven” there are these lines: “Out of fire is born an animal called a salamander, which feeds only on fire; and fire is its matter, and it will appear in the blaze of furnaces that burn for seven years.” The image of a spotted lizard, associated with the element of fire, migrated to medieval treatises on symbolism, alchemy and found a connection with religious symbolism.
In the Physiologist, a book written in the 3rd century and which is a collection and original interpretation of pre-Christian works on zoology, the fire salamander corresponds to three righteous people who were not burned in the fiery furnace. Then her image spread across various bestiaries and gained popularity, and the legend took root and became firmly established in many prophecies.
The common fire or spotted salamander is a small amphibian with medium length body 16-20 cm
Start fiery image put the coloring of the animal. Ancient scientists, in particular Pliny the Elder and Albertus Magnus, tried to associate its yellow and orange spots on the skin with the light of distant stars.
It was believed that the fire salamander somehow influenced the appearance of meteors, comets and new stars, and they, accordingly, affected the location of colored spots on its skin. A connection with various fiery phenomena is also mentioned, since scientists associated the same elongated spots with flames.
The salamander has always caused superstitious horror and fear, giving rise to many myths. In some, she is immortal, and her skin can cure all diseases; in others, it is a small dragon, from which in a hundred years a fire-breathing monster will grow.
In medieval magic, the salamander is a spirit, the keeper of fire, its personification. In Christianity, she is a messenger of hell, but in the treatises of the 11th century by the Byzantine George of Pisida, she is identified with the biblical symbol of a pious person, “who does not burn in the flames of sin and hell.”
In the Middle Ages, the belief spread in Europe that salamanders live in flames, and therefore in Christianity her image became a symbol of the fact that a living body can withstand fire. In addition, the magic lizard personifies the fight against carnal pleasures, chastity and faith. Theologians cited the phoenix bird as evidence of resurrection in the flesh, and the salamander as an example of the fact that living bodies can exist in fire.
In Saint Augustine's City of God there is a chapter entitled "Can Bodies Exist in Fire" and it begins like this:
“Why would I bring evidence here, if not to convince the incredulous that human bodies, endowed with soul and life, not only do not disintegrate and do not decompose after death, but their existence continues among the torments of eternal fire?
Since it is not enough for unbelievers that we attribute this miracle to the omnipotence of the Almighty, they demand that we prove it with some example. And we can answer them that there really are animals, corruptible creatures, for they are mortal, who nevertheless dwell in fire.”
Poets also resorted to the images of the salamander and phoenix, but only as a poetic exaggeration. For example, Que-vedo in the sonnets of the fourth book of “Spanish Parnassus”, where “the exploits of love and beauty are sung”:
I, like a Phoenix, am embraced by fury
By fire and, burning in it, I am reborn,
And I am convinced of his masculine strength,
That he is a father who gave birth to many children.
And the salamanders are notoriously cold
It doesn’t extinguish, I guarantee that on my honor.
The heat of my heart, in which I toil,
She doesn't care, even though he's a living hell to me.
In ancient books, the salamander was often given a magical appearance. She is already unusual, and in ancient descriptions she surpasses even this image. She has the body of a young cat, large membranous wings on her back, like some dragons, the tail of a snake, and only the head of an ordinary lizard.
Its skin is covered with small scales, fibers reminiscent of asbestos (this mineral was often identified with the salamander) - these are hardened particles of ancient flame.
Often a salamander can be found on the slope of a volcano during an eruption. She also appears in the flames of a fire if she so wishes. It is believed that without this amazing creature, the appearance of heat on earth would be impossible, because without his command even the most ordinary match cannot light up.
According to the treatises of Kabbalism, in order to get this strange creature, you should find a transparent glass vessel with a round shape. In the center of the flask, using specially placed mirrors, focus Sun rays. After some time, the solar substance of the salamander will appear there, its true essence, which can then be used in alchemy to produce the philosopher's stone.
Other sources clarify that the non-burning salamander only ensured that the required temperature was maintained in the crucible where the transformation of lead into gold took place.
The image of the salamander was widely used in symbolism and heraldry. Thus, on the coats of arms, a four-legged lizard surrounded by flames symbolized perseverance and contempt for danger. For example, in British coats of arms it means courage, courage, fortitude, which cannot be damaged by the fire of disasters. It is curious that the first insurance companies chose the salamander as their symbol, which meant safety from fire.
Traveling through the French castles of Chambord, Blois, Azay-le-Rideau, Fontainebleau, you can come across dozens of images of the salamander, since it was the salamander that was chosen by the French king Francis I as his symbol.
Salamander in the emblem of King Francis I, Château d’Azay-le-Rideau
A salamander on fire, accompanied by the king's motto “I cherish and banish,” is found on bas-reliefs and decorates walls and furniture. The meaning of this motto was that a wise and just monarch sows goodness and goodness, while at the same time eradicating evil and ignorance.
Fiction and reality are often very closely intertwined, and the salamander is a classic example of this. Now, of course, they are quite well studied, but some superstitious fear still remains. Perhaps also because these creatures are unusually poisonous, and most importantly, they carry a mystical trail that has rarely been awarded to any other type of amphibian.
