Salamander

For other uses, see Salamander (disambiguation).

Salamanders Temporal range: Jurassic - Recent
Salamandra salamandra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Subclass:	Lissamphibia
Order:	Caudata/Urodela
Suborders
Cryptobranchoidea Salamandroidea Sirenoidea

Salamander (orig. from Persian: sām, Fire, and andarūn, Within) is the common name applied to approximately 500 species of amphibians with slender bodies, short legs, and long tails. The moist skin of the amphibians makes them particularly suited for habitats near water or under some protection on moist ground, usually in a swamp. Some species are aquatic throughout life, some take to the water intermittently, and some are entirely terrestrial as adults. Salamanders superficially resemble lizards, but are easily distinguished by their lack of scales. They are capable of regenerating lost limbs. The earliest known salamander date back 161 million years , and were very similar to modern members of the Cryptobranchoidea.

The name derives from an old belief that salamanders could walk through fire, which is false.

Habitat

Species of salamanders are numerous and found in most moist or arid habitats in the northern hemisphere. Most are small, but some reach up to 5 inches (130 mm) in length. They live in brooks and ponds and other moist locations such as under rocks. North America has the hellbender and the mudpuppy which can reach the length of a foot (30 cm) or more. In Japan and China the giant salamander is found, which reaches 6 feet (2 m) and weighs up to 30 kilograms.

Salamander habitat is generally restricted to mostly the northern hemisphere, with the exception of a few species living in the northernmost part of South America. Although common on the European mainland, salamanders are not native to the British Isles.

Classification

There are ten families belonging to the order Urodela, divided into three suborders:

colspan="100%" align="center" Template:Bgcolor-blue|Cryptobranchoidea (Giant salamanders)
Family	Common Names	Example Species	Example Photo
Cryptobranchidae	Giant salamanders	Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)
Hynobiidae	Asiatic salamanders	Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus)
colspan="100%" align="center" Template:Bgcolor-blue|Salamandroidea (Advanced salamanders)
Ambystomatidae	Mole salamanders	Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum)
Amphiumidae	Amphiumas or Congo eels	Two-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma means)
Dicamptodontidae	Pacific giant salamanders	Pacific Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus)
Plethodontidae	Lungless salamanders	Red Back Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
Proteidae	Mudpuppies, waterdogs, or Human Fish	Olm (Proteus anguinus)
Rhyacotritonidae	Torrent salamanders	Southern Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton variegatus)
Salamandridae	Newts and true salamanders	Alpine Newt (Triturus alpestris)
colspan="100%" align="center" Template:Bgcolor-blue|Sirenoidea (Sirens)
Sirenidae	Sirens	Greater Siren (Siren lacertina)	File:Sirenlacertina.JPG

Popular culture

• see also Newts in Popular culture

Literature

• In Karel Čapek´s science fiction novel War with the Newts, also called War with the Salamanders, the species Andrias Scheuchzeri takes the main role.
• Salamanders are occasionally mentioned in the Harry Potter book series.
• In Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, the salamander is used symbolically to represent the fireman's ability to burn literature yet 'regenerate' happiness to the people in the totalitarian society.
• Harry Turtledove's novel The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump supplants many common objects and machines with magical contrivances. Salamanders are used in lieu of water heaters, and so-called "megasalamanders" are Turtledove's magical equivalent of nuclear weapons.
• Salamanders are also known as minor demons according to lore.

Gaming

• Salamander is a Konami shooting game which saw releases on many platforms after its arcade debut.
• In Earthworm Jim 2, there is a stage where Jim transforms from an earthworm to a blind cave salamander.
• In Dungeon Keeper 2, salamanders are one of the earliest unit types available to the player.
• In the Kingdom of Loathing, players can cast a spell during combat which turns the enemy into either a salamander, newt, or frog.
• In Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, the Salamander is a DSS(Dual Set-up System) card, which enables the character to use fire magics.

Animation

• In the anime Legendz, Salamander is an anthropomorphic caudate who is relegated a role as a minor character.
• In the Pokémon franchise, Wooper and its evolved form, Quagsire are salamanders; Mudkip and its evolutions fill the same role. Salamence is also a Salamander pokemon, hence the name; Charmander is a salamander-like Pokémon with characteristics of the mythical salamander.
• In Naruto, the character Kankuro has a defensive puppet called Sanshouo, which means Salamander in Japanese. The puppet also has a strong resemblance to its namesake. Another character is known as "Salamander" Hanzo, and can summon giant salamanders to use in battle.
• Cytomander, a character from the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann anime series, has his name formed from the combination of Salamander and the chemical component Cytosine.

References

• San Mauro, Diego (2005). "Initial diversification of living amphibians predated the breakup of Pangaea". American Naturalist. 165: 590–599. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

External references

• Caudata Culture
• Salamander Video
• Caudatamedia