Amphibians, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 26, 2013

Newt Pheromones Put Females into Mating Frenzy

It may be time to crown male newts as the female-arousing kings — the amphibians release powerful pheromones that put females in the mood to mate with practically any adult around, even other females from different newt species, new research shows. The females react as if they're under the influence...

Apr 29, 2013

Animal Sex: How Newts Do It

With their long tails and slender bodies, newts are often confused for lizards. But these amphibians, which can be found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica, are very different from their reptilian doppelgangers, particularly when it comes to mating. Unlike lizards, newts breed in water and males don't have...

May 20, 2013

Missing Parts? Salamander Regeneration Secret Revealed

Salamanders can regrow entire limbs and regenerate parts of major organs, an ability that relies on their immune systems, research now shows. A study of the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), an aquatic salamander, reveals that immune cells called macrophages are critical in the early stages of regenerating lost limbs. Wiping out...

Sep 4, 2013

Odd Cause of Salamander Die-Off Found: Skin-Eating Fungus

A newly discovered fungus that feasts on the skin of amphibians is threatening to decimate a species of salamander in the Netherlands, according to new research. Fire salamanders are one of the most recognizable salamander species in Europe, and are characterized by their distinct yellow- and black-patterned skin. Since 2010,...

Apr 11, 2014

Salamanders Shrink as Climate Heats Up

Wild salamanders that live in the Appalachian Mountains are shrinking because they must burn more energy as the local climate gets hotter and drier, according to a new study. Researchers found that the salamanders they collected between 1980 and 2012 were 8 percent smaller than those collected in earlier decades,...

Jun 20, 2014

Salamanders Give Clues to How We Might Regrow Human Limbs (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Humans have some regenerative abilities but compared to creatures like the salamander, which has an amazing ability to regenerate after injury, we’re pretty limited. Not only are salamanders the...

Oct 30, 2014

US Salamander Hotspot Could Fall to New Disease

A newly described fungal disease is killing salamanders and newts in Europe and could soon land on U.S. shores, according to a major new study. The disease invades the skin of salamanders and newts, and is related to another fungus that has been wiping out frog and other amphibian populations...

Dec 10, 2014

Two-Headed Baby Salamander Isn't Radioactive, But It Is Weird

Just call them Arne and Sebastian. Those are the monikers given to the two separate heads of one baby salamander that was born last week in a lab in Israel. Two heads are likely not better than one for the Near Eastern fire salamander (Salamandra infraimmaculata), which was born, alive,...

Mar 23, 2015

Car-Size Salamander with Toilet-Seat Head Ruled Ancient Rivers

A small-car-size super salamander with a toilet-seat-shaped head may have perished some 220 million to 230 million years ago alongside hundreds of its kin when its lake home dried up, researchers say. An international team of scientists found several skulls and various other bones — including those of the arm,...

Jul 30, 2015

Deadly Fungus Could Threaten US Salamanders

Each year, thousands of live salamanders arrive in shipments on U.S. shores, a trade that must stop immediately, scientists say. According to new research, a ban on salamander imports is crucial to stopping the spread of a deadly fungus that kills almost every salamander it infects. Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, also known...

Oct 28, 2015

Facts About Salamanders

Salamanders are amphibians that look like a cross between a frog and a lizard. Their bodies are long and slender; their skin is moist and usually smooth; and they have long tails. Salamanders are very diverse; some have four legs; some have two. Also, some have lungs, some have gills,...

Mar 23, 2017

Facts About Newts

Newts are small semi-aquatic amphibians that look like a cross between a frog and a lizard. Newts possess several interesting characteristics. For example, though they may look cute and harmless, they can be dangerous; toxins secreted through the skin as a defense mechanism could kill a person. Newts also can...

Jun 28, 2017

Gene Thieves: Female Salamanders Hijack DNA from Multiple Males

In the natural world, stealing is a necessary and frequent strategy for survival. Every animal group includes opportunists that snatch others' fresh kills, pilfer nesting materials or swipe prospective mates from distracted rivals. But only one type of animal uses thievery at the genetic level for reproduction — an all-female...

Oct 31, 2017

In Photos: Lost Salamanders Discovered

Long-Lost Salamander (Image credit: Carlos Vasquez Almazan)It's been 42 years since it was last sighted, but the Jackson's Climbing Salamander (Bolitoglossa jacksoni) is alive and well. This brilliant yellow salamander was discovered in Guatemala in 1975 and hadn't been seen since. But in October 2017, Ramos León, a guard at...

Oct 31, 2017

'Lost' Salamander Rediscovered After 42 Years

A lost species of salamander has been rediscovered alive and well in Guatemala. The Jackson's Climbing Salamander (Bolitoglossa jacksoni), a brilliant yellow-and-black amphibian, was last seen in 1975 and feared extinct. But this month, a guard at the Finca San Isidro Amphibian Reserve (also called the Yal Unin Yul Witz...