Page 51 - Amphibian

Broad head
Orange color of
bony crests on head
and back extends
full length of tail
Wart
Orange striped newt
Mud puppy
MUD PUPPY viewed from
The North American
mud puppy is a
permanent neotenic
(pp. 12–13) larval
species that may take
up to six years to
reach sexual maturity.
Mud puppies have
large, deep red gills,
four toes on each
foot, and are
related to the
European olm.
HEAVYWEIGHT LEAGUE
The tiger salamander lives
practically everywhere from
arid plains to wet meadows all
over North America. It is the
largest living land salamander and
may reach 15.5 in (40 cm) in length.
Tiger salamander These salamanders are voracious
feeders and will even eat other
amphibians. Like other
members of the mole
salamander family, they
live in burrows that either
belong to other animals or that
they dig for themselves.
BIG BABY
This tiger salamander
larva will change into an
adult when it is about 5 in
(12 cm) long – unlike its
relative, the axolotl, which
remains and breeds in the larval
state (pp. 12–13).
ORIENTAL SALAMANDER
The orange striped or crocodile
newt is found Tiger
throughout India and salamander
eastern Asia. It larva
belongs to the same
family – Salamandridae
– as other newts and the Gill
fire salamander.
Flat,
V­shaped
head COMPETELY LUNGLESS
This dwarf Mexican lungless
salamander is one of the
smallest salamanders in the
world, measuring less than
1 in (2.5 cm) in total length.
MOUNTAIN DWELLER
The mountain dusky
salamander, from the
northeastern U.S., is another
lungless salamander. It grows
up to 4.5 in (11 cm) long. They
are found in cool, moist areas
near streams and in forests.
underneath HELLBENDERS
These strange looking
Gill salamanders live in
the eastern-
central U.S. and
may grow to 30
in (75 cm) long.
They are totally
aquatic, living in
fast-flowing streams
and rivers, and are related to the
Chinese and Japanese giant Hellbender
salamanders (pp. 10–11).
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