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[15] [16] The common mudpuppy never leaves its aquatic environment and therefore does not undergo morphogenesis; however, many salamanders do and develop differentiated teeth. [17] Aquatic salamander teeth are used to hinder escape of the prey from the salamander; they do not have a crushing function. [17] This aids the salamander when feeding.
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela from the group Caudata. [2]
The largest species of lungless salamanders, Bell's false brook salamander, can reach lengths of 36 cm (14 in). [5] Many species have a projectile tongue and hyoid apparatus, which they can fire almost a body length at high speed to capture prey. Measured in individual numbers, they are very successful animals where they occur.
This large salamander grows to a total length (including tail) of 29–57 cm (11–22 in) over a lifespan of 30 years. [6] The Ozark hellbender is a nocturnal predator that hides under large flat rocks and primarily consumes crayfish and small fish.
Its tail is thin. Males have a protruding "spike" at the base of their tails on the dorsal surface. Adults may grow to 13 cm (5.1 in) in length. [3] The Luschan’s salamander is a nocturnal, land-dwelling animal, most active during the rainy or wet season, which lasts from November to April in the Mediterranean region. [4]
Salamandridae is a family of salamanders consisting of true salamanders and newts. Salamandrids are distinguished from other salamanders by the lack of rib or costal grooves along the sides of their bodies and by their rough skin. Their skin is very granular because of the number of poison glands. They also lack nasolabial grooves.
The family includes some of the largest living amphibians. They are native to China, Japan, and the eastern United States. Giant salamanders constitute one of two living families—the other being the Asiatic salamanders belonging to the family Hynobiidae—within the Cryptobranchoidea, one of two main divisions of living salamanders.
As larvae the western grotto salamander lives in springs and streams near cave entrances. [1] As adults, They migrate deep into the caves themselves and live out their lives underground. [1] They prefer waters between 5.5 and 16.5 °C, and feed on small, cave-dwelling invertebrates such as Gammarus, though they are also known to eat guano as well.