A Little Bit More
Salamanders and lizards live very different lives and can often be differentiated merely on the basis of where they’re found. In dry, desert areas, few, if any salamanders will be found and in cool, wet, mountainous areas, few, if any, lizards will be found.
Northern Fence Lizard © Solon Morse
Probably the biggest difference between the two is the difference in their eggs. Eggs of the typical salamander are almost naked, enclosed only by a jelly envelope. The jelly supports each egg separately, keeps out small organisms, and discourages larger predators, but it does little to protect the egg from drying conditions. A typical salamander egg brought onto land will quickly dry up (although there are some species that do lay their eggs on land but only in very moist places).
Cave Salamander © Solon Morse
Reptile eggs are enclosed in a leathery shell that keeps them from drying out. This is why reptiles are able to live far from water, even in habitats like deserts. Although most reptiles lay their eggs in the soil or under leaves and other debris, some retain their eggs inside their bodies and bear live young. The outer scaly covering of reptiles is not a moist, secreting membrane but acts as a protective layer shielding the animals from both physical injury and drying. As egg or adult, lizards are capable of prospering in places where salamanders simply can not exist.
Definitions
Impervious: not capable of being affected or disturbed
Activities
Science & Art – I Know a Salamander
Objectives: Get to know a local salamander
Materials: Access to library or online website, coloring materials, printout of salamander image (provided)
I’ve provided a generic salamander for students to color. Have your students check out the salamanders that are found in their state/province either on line (see website below) or in a field guide and decide upon one they’d like to color. Use a photo or illustration as reference for the correct colors and patterns. You can print out the ink line illustration in our activity to get you started.
Along with their colored illustration, students should be able to include the following:
- Do you know in what parts of the state your salamander is or is not found?
- What does your salamander eat?
- Is your salamander a common or uncommon amphibian in your area?
- What kind of habitat are you most likely to find your salamander living in?
- Does your salamander lay its eggs in the water or not?
- What is the scientific name ( Latin genus and species) of your salamander?
- Can you note something special about your salamander that may be a bit different?
- Can you note some of the special identifying characteristics of your salamander that help to tell it apart from others?
Some of the states/provinces have great photos of their salamanders so give your state/province a try at “your state salamanders”.
Key Concepts
Adaptations and Diversity, Identification, Life Cycles, Structures and Functions
Questions
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Posted by Angel Daley on August 16, 2006 at 03:13 PM
Q: What is this? A cream colored, almost transparent, lizard or salamander (not sure which) that I've never seen before and can't find a picture of. The largest I have seen is about 5 inches long. It has prominent round eyeballs that seem to be stuck right on top of its head, not to the sides.
A: Sounds like a gecko to me — probably the introduced Mediterranean Gecko. There are no geckos native to Mississippi, but the Mediterranean Gecko has been introduced in many parts of the southeast — particularily in Florida — and has been noted in Mississippi.