Fire sal observation

[juraj]

This habitat it`s a small shallow well in a forest or something like that. It`s covered all the time and water never exceeds 10 °C year round. I`ve always been thinking it`s difficult for the animals to get in and out but I`ve never found anything drawned. Yesterday I visited this place after some time and I found completely metamorphosed juvenile there which was staying two feets under water together with larvae. It didn`t look starving from lack of oxygene or food but I thought it was better to leave it on land. It was quite odd and funny to photograph a real aquatic fire sal juv but don`t try this at home !

 

[franceschino]

Hi Juraj
never seen a completely morphed aquatic salamandra...what was the temperature of the water?

 

[juraj]

Hi Francesco

it was 5°C.

 

[coendeurloo]

Very interesting Juraj. Maybe the low temperature could explain it's lesser need of oxygen? (Reduced metabolism)

 

[Jennewt]

That's quite surprising. A lot of species are adaptable, but I thought that Salamandra was one of the obligatorily terrestrial types.

 

[marco]

sorry to bring back an old thread but i recently visited romania and tried my hand at a bit of herping, found millions of fire bellied toads (yellow ones) and a few grass snakes but i didnt find the fire slamanders that i was hoping to see. what are the weather conditions and envroment like in the surrounding area?