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The feet are broad with short digits, usually four on the front feet and five on the rear. Salamanders do not have claws, and the shape of the foot varies according to the animal's habitat. Climbing species have elongated, square-tipped toes, while rock-dwellers have larger feet with short, blunt toes.
Despite the absence of lungs, some can grow rather large. 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.
Wind tunnel experiments have found that wandering salamanders can control their pitch, roll, and yaw when in the air such that their body remains upright and stable in a "skydiving" posture that reduces descent speed. [5] [13] [20] This posture generally involves spread legs and splayed feet, with the tail angled upwards. [20]
Bolitoglossa is a genus of lungless salamanders, also called mushroom-tongued salamanders, [1] tropical climbing salamanders, [2] or web-footed salamanders, [3] in the family Plethodontidae. [ 1 ] [ 4 ] Their range is between northern Mexico through Central America to Colombia , Venezuela , Ecuador , Peru , northeastern Brazil , and central ...
Like most salamanders, it has short legs with four toes on the front legs and five on its back limbs, and its tail is keeled for propulsion. Its tail is shaped like a rudder, but it is rarely used for swimming; these salamanders use pads on their toes instead to grip rocks and walk up and down streams instead of swimming. [14]
[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.
The coastal giant salamander can reach up to 33 cm (13 in) in total length as a terrestrial adult, and 35.5 cm (14.0 in) in paedomorphic forms, [4] making it the largest terrestrial salamander in North America. [5] The coastal giant salamander has stout limbs with four toes on the front feet and five toes on the back feet.
Red-backed salamander in its habitat. The red-backed salamander is a small terrestrial salamander, 5.7–10.0 cm (2.2–3.9 in) in total length (including tail), which usually lives in forested areas under rocks, logs, bark, and other debris. [4]