Salamandrella keyserlingii
1000-2000 rub.
Siberian salamander, four-toed newt(Salamandrella keyserlingii or Hynobius keyserlingii)
Class - Amphibians or amphibians
Order - Tailed amphibians
Family - Salamis
Genus - Siberian salamanders
Appearance
The size of mature individuals (body length with a tail) is 8-9 cm, rarely more than 13 cm. The tail is slightly shorter, equal to or slightly longer than the body with the head. The color is dark, bronze-brown, brownish or grayish-brown, with small dark spots. The skin is smooth, on the sides of the body there are 12-15 grooves on each side. A light golden strip stretches along the back of the body. The head is flattened. A characteristic feature of the salamander (in contrast to the newt) is the presence of 4 fingers (sometimes 3) on the hind limbs. The tail is laterally compressed, but lacks leathery fin folds.
The male has a relatively longer and taller tail, a more convex cloaca, relatively longer front legs, and the total length of the fore and hind limbs than the female. These differences are most noticeable during the breeding season.
Habitat
Inhabits a vast territory. In the north, the salamander reaches the polar Urals, in Yakutia it was found at 72 ° N., in Yakutia and the Magadan region it was found in the delta tundra almost on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The southern border of the range runs in the north of Japan (Hokkaido island), Korea, China (Manchuria) and Mongolia. In the west, the species lives in the northeast of the European part of Russia from the Arkhangelsk region to the Volga region, then its range covers the Urals, Trans-Urals and the very north of Kazakhstan, Siberia and the Far East to the east to Chukotka, Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands (Shumshu, Paramushir and Kunashir). Thus, the range of the Siberian salamander covers the taiga zone, going out in the north into the southern tundra, and in the south into the forest-steppe and steppe.
In nature
Leads a terrestrial nocturnal lifestyle. After metamorphosis, in the terrestrial phase of the life cycle, salamanders are active in the dark, and larvae are active day and night. At the beginning of the breeding season (in water bodies), adults are active during the day, when the water is warmest. Further, due to the increase in water temperature in spring, the activity shifts to twilight and, by the end of the breeding period, to night.
During the day, it hides in the litter, under the dead wood, in the moss, 2-5 m from the water. Sometimes they can bury themselves in silt, exposing only the nostrils. With a long stay on land, the skin of salamanders dries very quickly, becoming dark, almost black. They prefer small well-heated reservoirs, often reservoirs with outlets of small springs at the bottom. The most frost-resistant amphibian species. Adults are able to withstand a drop in body temperature to -35-40 ° C and do not lose mobility at + 0.5-1 ° C. It comes to water bodies during ice breaking, remains active at an air temperature of 1 to 20 ° C. Poorly tolerates high temperatures: when the water warms up above 27-28 ° C, salamander larvae and adults die, and adults stop feeding already at 25 ° C. They do not like direct sunlight.
Adults living on land consume a variety of invertebrates (mainly Lumbricidae, Mollusca, Aranei, Coleoptera and Diptera larvae); in water, their food spectrum is narrower (Gastropoda, Daphniidae, Coleoptera, and Chironomidae larvae). The diet of adult salamanders varies depending on the biotope. Wintering begins around September-October. Siberian salamanders overwinter in rotten trees, under logs, snags, in holes, etc., usually in groups of 5-10 (up to 200) individuals, sometimes singly. Wintering sites can be located at distances of up to 200-500 m from water bodies. Wintering ends in most places in April and early May.
Reproduction
Sexual maturity occurs in the 3rd year of life.
For reproduction, salamanders choose small shaded and clean forest water bodies, avoiding large rivers and lakes. The breeding time depends on the water temperature (+ 5-15 ° С) and over the years the initial dates can shift by 7-10 days.
During the breeding season, which begins in April - May and lasts in most cases no more than a week, mating games are arranged. The male sits on a submerged grass or branch and takes a mating position: bends the body in a semicircle, with a lowered head and a bent tail, and makes rhythmic movements (bends, curls up, moves in waves). From time to time, the animal jerks its whole body, as it were, hitting the substrate. If one male swims past another, then the first one bites him with a sharp movement. The female spends most of the time at the bottom. When she rises up and reaches the male, the latter, with its tail, covers her body, sometimes with its front paws, the body of the female below the front legs, while seizing the female by the side with his teeth. When the female lays eggs, the male touches it with his hind legs and, as it were, "pulls" the eggs out of the female. Fertilization occurs at this time or immediately after oviposition. But in many cases, several males swim up to the female at the time of laying eggs, intertwine around her in one ball. Probably, in such cases, several males are involved in fertilization. The female attaches to the substrate the ends of the caviar sacs, which emerge from her cloaca first.
For salamanders, group breeding is typical, when most females lay eggs in a few places for a very short time (sometimes 1-2 nights). Females usually lay eggs at a depth of 5-50 cm. They choose grass submerged in water as a substrate for laying. Caviar bags are paired and twisted in a spiral. The total number of eggs is usually in the range of 150-200. The fertility of the female also varies across the range. It is lowest in the extreme northeast (Chukotka Peninsula: 32-160 eggs per clutch, usually 70-97, versus 38-269 eggs, usually 112-208 eggs in the Middle Urals).
Caviar develops depending on temperature from 10 to 30 days. Salamis eggs and larvae are extremely sensitive to water pollution.
The first larvae of salamanders appear in mid-June; unlike adults, they are active in the daytime. The larvae that emerged from the eggs have three pairs of external feathery gills; on the forelimbs, between the toes, there is a long lobe. Salamis larvae differ from frog tadpoles in a more elongated body, narrow rather than round head. Compared to tadpoles, salamander larvae are more cautious; in case of danger they go to the depths. Tadpoles feed on small crustaceans, then snails, bivalve molluscs and insects. Larvae undergo metamorphosis in 40-50 days. During the period of metamorphosis, the salamander does not stop feeding, although the feeding intensity is greatly reduced. At the end of the metamorphosis, already on land, the larvae consume only terrestrial prey. The emergence of juveniles on land occurs in late July - early August.
Keeping Siberian salamanders at home is rather difficult. The main problem is maintaining the required temperature regime. At 23 °, salamanders feel bad, and at 29 ° they die. You can reduce the temperature by spraying the terrarium with cold water. But during the heat, the amphibians must be transferred to the refrigerator. The size of the terrarium can be small, so for 1-3 salamanders 500 cm² is sufficient. An earthen mixture (peat, leafy earth, sand) covered with a layer of moss is suitable for. The presence of snags, pieces of bark, flat stones will be important. It is necessary to feed the animals in the evening, after the lights have been turned off. Bloodworms, tubifex, wood lice and spiders are suitable as.
Life expectancy is up to 30 years.
The Siberian salamander (Latin Salamandrella keyserlingii) has an incredible ability to go into a long hibernation and tolerate a prolonged decrease in ambient temperature from -35 ° C to -40 ° C without consequences for its health.
Presumably, the species appeared about 490 thousand years ago in the mountains of the Far East. It was first described in 1870 by the Polish zoologist and geographer Tadeusz Dybowski.
This tailed amphibian is also called the four-toed newt. Glycerin, which is formed in the blood from glucose produced by the liver with the onset of frost, helps him survive in such extreme conditions. Its concentration in the body can reach 37% of the body weight, protecting the cell structure from destruction.
When the Siberian salamander is frozen, all metabolic processes are almost completely stopped in it. When the environment warms up to 1 ° C, the animal comes to life and rushes in search of food.
Spreading
This species is divided into two isolated populations inhabiting the European and Asian parts of Russia. The first is relict and is distributed in the western regions of the Urals, mainly along 44 ° east longitude, mainly in the Nizhny Novgorod, Arkhangelsk and Kirov regions. The second is found in the area from the Sea of Okhotsk to Kamchatka, including Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
The southern border of the range runs in the north of Mongolia and Manchuria in northern China. A small number of four-toed newts have survived on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The northern border reaches 72 ° north latitude, including the cold pole of the northern hemisphere in Verkhoyansk (68 °). Most often, animals are observed in lowlands and elevations up to 900 m above sea level. Only around the freshwater lake Khuvsgul in the north of Mongolia are they observed at altitudes up to 2200 m.
The Asian population is distinguished by a number of zoologists as a separate species, Salamandrella tridactyla.
Behavior
Siberian salamanders inhabit wet meadows, marshy and wooded areas covered with moss, fallen leaves or dead wood, located near spawning reservoirs. They can be river floodplains, ponds, lakes, puddles and slow-flowing streams. Usually, these tailed amphibians do not move away from water sources at a distance of more than 1500 m.
Summer in the permafrost zone is very short, so animals hibernate in September and spend at least 160 to 220 days in it, depending on their habitat. Most often salamanders hibernate singly, but often in groups of up to 200 individuals. Awakening usually occurs in April or May, when the ambient temperature exceeds zero.
This species is active in the temperature range from 0.5 ° C to 27 ° C. Higher temperatures lead to the death of the amphibian.
The larvae feed on small benthic fauna, less often on zooplankton. Adults eat a variety of terrestrial invertebrates that can fit in their mouths. The diet is dominated by worms, snails and insects. Prey is captured by a sharp ejection of the tongue.
The larvae themselves are attacked by leeches, gastropods, ticks, aquatic insects, reptiles and birds. The tadpoles of the Far Eastern frog (Rana dybowskii) are especially dangerous for them.
Adult newts are attacked by a significant number of predators, ranging from ground beetles (Carabidae) to various mammals. Fortunately, they remain a random part of their diet due to the presence of venom glands in amphibians.
Representatives of this species are twilight and nocturnal. During rains, they can become active during daylight hours. The larvae are active around the clock. Rotten tree stumps, voids under stones, holes of rodents, heaps of brushwood and grass serve as a shelter for amphibians. Winter hibernation takes place in these shelters.
Salamandrella keysrrlingii are distinguished by low aggressiveness towards attackers and weak territoriality during the mating season.
Reproduction
The mating season runs from mid-April to mid-June, depending on climatic conditions, shortly after coming out of hibernation and lasts from 10 to 14 days, in rare cases up to 4 weeks. To continue the genus, amphibians gather on shallow shoals of lakes, ponds, swamps or in puddles.
To attract the attention of the female, the male climbs a plant submerged in water and slowly waves its tail.
The female mates with several males and lays eggs under water in porous sacs on the stems of aquatic plants or driftwood. The length of the egg sacs is 15-20 cm, sometimes up to 37 cm, the width is 32-50 mm. They contain from 27 to 305 eggs with a diameter of 7-9 mm.
Incubation lasts on average about 22 days. Larvae of the limnophilic type (adapted to life in stagnant water bodies) appear in late May or early June. Their body length is 8-12 mm. The development of larvae lasts 60-80 days. If they do not have time to go through the entire metamorphosis completely before the beginning of winter, then they remain to winter.
Typically, the metamorphosis ends in July and August. Young individuals grow up to 2-6 cm and move from the aquatic environment to land. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 3-4 years.
Description
The body length of adults is 12-16 cm, of which about half is on the tail. The tail is characterized by a round base and lateral flattening at the end, as in most newts. On the hind limbs there are 4 fingers, like the spectacled salamander (Salamandrina terdigita), which lives in the Apennine mountains in southern Italy.
The respiratory organ is the lungs, and the larvae have external gills. The respiratory function is partly performed by the skin.
Near the palate, the teeth are located at an acute angle. The head is separated from the body, the eyes are “froglike”. In its back are parotids (parotid glands). 12-15 vertical lateral grooves are clearly visible on the body. Sexual dimorphism is weak. Males have a slightly wider head, more cloaca, a longer and higher tail.
The color is brown with various shades of olive, golden, gray and smoky colors. A wide golden, light brown or silvery stripe with a metallic sheen, sometimes with a light brown transverse line in the middle, stretches along the back from head to tip of the tail.
The abdomen is silvery-gray, often with small dark spots. A number of individuals have a marble pattern of dark dots on their heads. The camouflage color makes the amphibian unobtrusive, especially during the white polar nights.
The life span of the Siberian salamander in natural conditions is about 13 years.
Date: 2011-07-09
I. Khitrov Moscow
The most extensive range among all amphibians is possessed by a small newt - Siberian salamander(Salamandrella keyserlingii). It is found practically throughout Northeast Asia - both in Russia, and in China, and in Kazakhstan. But in addition to this, the salamander and the northernmost amphibian - it was found on the Taimyr Peninsula and Chukotka. That is, he lives in the permafrost zone.
The well-known herpetologist S. Kuzmin writes that “the salamander is a unique amphibian in its frost resistance.
Salamanders were repeatedly found frozen in the ice. After thawing, the animals revived. Radiocarbon analysis of the ice showed its age to be 10,000 years. But how much did the animal spend in the ice?
Photo Siberian salamander
In nature, it usually adheres to various reservoirs - lakes, swamps, rivers and streams, the banks of which are covered with bushes or deciduous undergrowth.
This is a medium-sized amphibian - its maximum size does not exceed 16 cm, usually less. The coloration of both the male and the female is brown or gray-brown with a light or dark yellow stripe along the back. The animal differs from our other tailed amphibians by the presence of four toes on its hind legs.
It feeds on various invertebrates, among which insects predominate. Wintering takes a huge amount of time for salamanders, because in the north of the range they have to spend up to 80% of their life in a "suspended" state. With the arrival of heat, at a water temperature of 2-3 ° C, the breeding period immediately begins. After not-
resta, adults move to a terrestrial lifestyle.
In the home terrarium salamanders- the most complex animals. The main problem is the temperature regime. Already at 23 ° C, amphibians feel uncomfortable, and at 29 ° C, they die. Decreases in temperature are achieved by frequently spraying the terrarium with cold water. But in hot weather, when the temperature rises to 32-35 "C, you have to transfer the newts to the refrigerator.
Photo Siberian salamander
The terrarium can be small, for a couple of salamanders, an area of 500 cm2 is quite enough. The soil is an earth mixture (leaf soil, peat, sand in a ratio of 3: 1: 1), covered with a layer of moss on top. Shelters are required - snags, pieces of bark, flat stones. In their absence, animals independently dig shallow burrows, but this complicates observation of them. The design can be very diverse, including the use of living plants - salamanders do not damage them.
Feeding salamanders is not difficult, but somewhat tedious - food must be given in the evening, after turning off the lights. They gladly eat various sedentary invertebrates - bloodworms, tubifex, woodlice, spiders, etc., but at the same time they are able, making non-, high jumps, to catch a fly passing by. During the day, salamanders usually do not eat; you can induce them to do this by lowering the temperature, lowering the pressure to 735 mm Hg. and an increase in humidity to 85-99% (if anyone has the opportunity to do this).
Breeding salamanders at home is unrealistic, but in the laboratory it has already been fully mastered.
Magazine Aquarium 2000 №4
Siberian salamanders are newts belonging to the angletooth family. They live on a huge territory. The northern part of the range reaches Yakutia and the Urals. They were found in the tundra, practically in the Arctic Ocean.
The southern part of the range covers the north of Japan, China, Korea and Mongolia. In the west, Siberian salamanders live from the Volga region to the Arkhangelsk region. They are also found in the Urals, the Trans-Urals, the Far East, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Kamchatka, Chukotka and the Kuril Islands.
Description of Siberian salamanders
The maximum body length of the Siberian salamander reaches 72 millimeters, and taking into account the tail, it reaches 162 millimeters.
The tail is usually shorter than the body, but sometimes it can be longer. 12-14 transverse grooves are located on the sides of the body. Normally, these newts should have 4 toes on their paws, but there are three- or five-toed individuals. Such individuals are often distinguished as an independent species.
The color of the upper body and sides is brown with various transitions from smoky to golden. The belly is light. Some individuals have dark specks on their bodies. Although several forms of these newts living in China and Russia have been described, they have not received recognition, therefore, at the moment, no subspecies of Siberian salamanders are distinguished.
The Siberian salamander is the only amphibian that is well adapted to life in the permafrost zone. Habitats of Siberian salamanders
Most often, Siberian salamanders choose low-lying areas and valleys with rivers, small lakes and swamps as habitats. They are found in various forests: birch, coniferous, mixed, alder and broad-leaved. They also come across in villages, cities, parks, along railways and the like.
Siberian salamanders are ecologically plastic, that is, they can live in different conditions. So in Kamchatka they live on the Uzon volcano, on Sakhalin in the hills overgrown with bamboo, in Mongolia in the steppes next to the rivers, and on the Kuril Islands in craters from air bombs flooded with water.
They mostly prefer bushy or wooded areas, but they can also be found in open areas.
The lifestyle of Siberian salamanders
Adults lead a hidden life, and show activity at dusk or at night, during the day they hide in various shelters. The larvae are active throughout the day.
When the snow begins to melt, salamanders appear on the surface, at different latitudes this happens from March to June. A feature of this type of newt is the ability to tolerate low temperatures, they do not lose activity at 0 degrees. Therefore, they can even live at the North Pole.
During the experiments, during which an artificial wintering was created, salamanders did not die even at a temperature of minus 35-40 degrees. They were found even in permafrost. One adult was pulled from a block of ice, and she came to life, her age was 90 years. That is, in a state of suspended animation, their organisms can function for a long time.
The larvae feed on molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic insects. Adults that live on land eat insects, earthworms, molluscs and other invertebrates.
Siberian salamanders leave for wintering in August-November, which depends on the latitude of the weather conditions. They hibernate under fallen leaves, in empty stumps, dead wood and soil. In this case, they can meet singly or in groups. Hibernation in salamanders lasts 5-8 months.
Reproduction of Siberian salamanders
Already a couple of days after wintering, salamanders begin to reproduce. They spawn eggs from 2 to 4 weeks. Females lay eggs in shallow water, choosing areas with vegetation, well warmed by the sun.
These newts are characterized by a kind of courtship courtship. The male grasps some twig in the water and begins to make lateral movements, bending the tail with a wave, so it attracts the attention of the female.
The clutch of the Siberian salamander is in the form of spiral bags that are joined together. Caviar sacs are fixed on the stems or branches of plants shallowly in the water. Over time, the bags swell and noticeably increase in size. Females bring a different number of eggs - in some cases there may be 14 eggs in a clutch, and sometimes their number reaches 170. The color of the eggs is dark gray.
The duration of the embryo development process depends on the water temperature. Larvae can begin to hatch in 2-4 weeks, but most often the development process takes 2-3 months. They have well-formed feathery gills, there is a fin fold, and an oar-shaped fin appears between the toes. In the process of further development, the blades and balancers disappear. Metamorphosis takes 2-3 days. After metamorphosis, Siberian salamanders reach a length of 20-60 millimeters, and weigh from 100 to 900 mg.
The maximum life span of Siberian salamanders in nature is 13 years.
The number of Siberian salamanders and their conservation status
These newts are quite common species, and in some places their numbers are very wide. But in certain areas, for example, in the Amur region, Siberian salamanders are rare.
They live on the territory of several reserves. This species is not listed in the Red Book.
Species similar to Siberian salamanders
Siberian salamanders share a habitat with Ussuriysk newts, but Siberian salamanders have a different shape of tail and teeth.
Siberian salamanders differ from common and crested newts by the presence of 4 toes on their hind legs, the shape of the palatine teeth, and well-visible warts on the sides of the body. Siberian salamanders do not ascertain with other species of tailed reptiles, since they are geographically isolated.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Despite the fact that the Siberian salamander, or, as it is also called, the four-toed newt, is widespread in nature, it is very rare to see an adult. During the day, these animals hide under snags, sods, crawl into cracks in the ground, and only at night do they go out to feed. Due to the secretive lifestyle in some habitats, including the European part of Russia, salamanders were not noticed for a long time. Meanwhile, these amphibians are unique.
The four-toed newt (Salamandrella keyserlingii) is a tailed amphibian, a representative of the salamander family. Its habitat is very extensive. It is found from the Kurils, Sakhalin and the Japanese Islands through all of Siberia to the eastern regions of Europe, where it lives in the Republic of Mari El, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Kirov regions and the Komi Republic, as well as in the eastern regions of the Arkhangelsk region.
The four-toed newt penetrates far to the north. Obviously, the entire northeast of Russia within the plains, with the exception of only the coastal tundra of the Kara and Barents Seas, is included in its habitat.
Siberian salamander is an inhabitant of forests, mainly taiga. In the tundra, steppes and mountains, it is found where there is woody vegetation. An important condition for the habitation of these animals is the presence of reservoirs. These can be swamps, ponds, lakes, river oxbows, ditches and pits filled with water. Four-fingered newts also do not avoid the floodplains of large rivers. However, they only need reservoirs for reproduction. They spend most of their lives on land, usually near the coast.
In general, these newts gravitate towards shaded habitats. This requirement also applies to breeding reservoirs.
Description of the Siberian salamander
Triton is small. The body is about 7 cm long, rounded, the head is oval and flattened, the muzzle is short, the eyes are convex; the tail, which is approximately equal to the length of the body, is laterally compressed, but not as strongly as in other newts. The body is covered with smooth, moisturized and shiny skin of uniform brown color in various shades. A wide, lighter stripe runs along the back, along the edges of which dark spots are scattered. On the head, this strip expands somewhat. 11-13 transverse grooves are visible on each side of the body. Males and females hardly differ externally.
The Siberian salamander differs from other representatives of its genus by the presence of four toes on its hind legs; there are cases of greater reduction of the fingers.
The name "salamander" is associated with the fact that in this tailed amphibian the palatine teeth are arranged in a row, forming a V-shaped line.
Features of the northern amphibian
In general, salamanders are amazing creatures. Scientists find in them such structural features that have not been preserved in any other modern vertebrates, but which were in the long-extinct representatives of the prehistoric fauna. Therefore, sometimes these reptiles are called "living fossils."
In addition, from the general number of amphibians, they are also distinguished by the fact that they are the most cold-resistant. Of course, it is difficult to call an amphibian a "cold-loving" animal, but in the case of our hero this is exactly the case. Salamander, unlike its relatives, gravitates towards cold regions: it can be found both in the tundra and in the mountains, i.e. where there are usually no other species of amphibians.
He is able to remain mobile even at zero temperatures, and at minimum positive temperatures leads an active lifestyle. Salamanders do not die when cooled to -35 - -40 ° С, since the concentration of glycerin increases in the tissues and organs of the animal. Wintering of four-fingered newts ends successfully, even if average monthly temperatures in shelters are negative. This allows animals to settle even in the tundra zone and is the reason that allowed the primitive species to have such a vast range in northern Eurasia.
There are even known cases when salamanders were found in permafrost. Apparently, they got there as a result of landslides of previously washed-out banks. The age of one of these animals caught in the permafrost was determined at 90 years. But the most amazing thing is that after thawing, such animals come to life, and if thawing occurred gradually, they remain viable!
Average daily positive temperatures during the beginning and end of seasonal activity do not exceed +3 - + 4 ° С. Spawning begins at a daytime ground layer temperature of +9 to + 15 ° C. Spawning itself can take place at a minimum water temperature of 3.2 ° C.
Four-toed newts do not tolerate direct sunlight and high temperatures, preferring shaded areas. They even choose shaded reservoirs for breeding.
At high average daily temperatures with warm and light nights in the first half of summer, animals become lethargic, move little, try not to leave the shelter. Obviously, the strict nocturnal activity of the species is also associated with its preference for low temperatures.
Lifestyle, behavior of Siberian salamanders
Salamander are characterized by low mobility, slowness. Even being found in a shelter, he is in no hurry to hide. Only in the mating season are these animals quite active, including in the daytime. They are light and mobile in water.
Refuge
Ground shelters for four-toed newts are voids under sedge or moss bumps, dilapidated rotten trees, often with hollows rotted in them, cracks behind the half-peeled bark of more recent trees. Often, such large voids form along fallen trees that are overgrown with grass or moss on all sides. In such places, salamanders are obviously able to feed without leaving their shelters for many days.
Nutrition
Animals come to the surface to feed only at night. These newts can get food both in water and on land, and they search for prey both by sight and by smell, which is very important, since it allows them to feed on completely immobile objects, in contrast, for example, from frogs, which are simply do not notice everything that is not moving.
Based on the smell, a Siberian salamander in the terrarium can eat a piece of sliced meat or even a boiled egg. In nature, its diet is based on various sedentary aquatic and soil small invertebrates: earthworms, mollusks, spiders, adults and insect larvae, crustaceans, larvae and eggs of other amphibians.
Wintering
Depending on the habitat, salamanders leave for wintering in September - early October, and leave it in April - May. They hibernate in cracks in the soil, under the rhizomes of fallen trees, under heaps of decayed wood and windbreaks, or in rotten wood. In these places, they can accumulate in large numbers, several dozen individuals.
Siberian salamanders live well in captivity. It is easy to keep adults, hatch from eggs and raise young. For adult animals, a fairly spacious aquaterrarium with water and terrestrial parts is needed, while artificial wintering is not a prerequisite for successful keeping.
Siberian salamander is a real long-liver. Individuals are known that have lived in nature for 12 years, and, obviously, this is not the limit.
Marital behavior, the appearance of offspring
The mating behavior of Siberian salamanders is fundamentally different from other tailed amphibians found in Russia.
During the mating season, males have a small leather trim on their tail, but it cannot be compared with the luxurious combs that adorn males of real newts. But only our heroes can observe a kind of "mating current" and "mating dances". The male chooses some twig in the water column and, holding on to it with its paws, begins to swing and rhythmically move its tail from side to side. When a female swims up to it, it grabs it with its tail, sometimes holding it with its front legs and teeth. Then the female crawls through the ring formed by the twisted tail of the male, and at the same time lays bags of eggs. The male, fingering them with his paws, helps the partner, as it were, to pull them out.
In one place, up to 20 individuals can mourn, while the female laying eggs often attracts the attention of several males at once. At the very beginning of oviposition, the female attaches the sticky base of the bags to some underwater object.
The clutch of the salamander looks like two spirally twisted by 2.5-3 turns of egg sacs. Fresh masonry is small (50-60 mm long and about 5 mm wide). Such masonry in the sun opalescent, seems bluish. After swelling, the opalescence disappears. As the embryos develop, the length and width of the clutch increases slightly.
In the most favorable water bodies, salamanders can deposit several hundred clutches, which in places form continuous gelatinous masses. Each clutch contains from 30 to 300 eggs.
In favorable weather, larvae emerge from the eggs in 18-20 days. However, the timing of embryonic development is highly dependent on weather conditions. The rather long term for the development of eggs is due to the fact that four-toed newts often choose very shaded, cold water bodies for breeding. The embryos have a very high thermal stability, therefore, even the return of severe cold weather, up to the freezing of clutches into the ice, does not stop the development of eggs, but prolonged cooling can greatly slow down embryogenesis. Too high water temperature in breeding reservoirs can negatively affect the reproduction of this species.
At first, the hatched larvae are inactive and stay on the remains of the clutch and plants. Their body length is slightly more than 1 cm, they breathe with the help of developed external gills. The larva has a well-defined tail, about half the length of the body, and a well-separated head.
Soon, the larvae begin to feed. First, they catch small aquatic crustaceans - daphnia, cyclops, and then grab larger prey - mosquito larvae, molluscs, water bugs and beetles.
The duration of the larval period is 40-50 days, and then metamorphosis occurs.
With the growth of the larva, first the front and then the hind limbs appear, i.e. the sequence is completely different from that of the well-known frog tadpoles, which first have hind legs, and only then the front ones.
The length of the gills first increases, reaching the middle of the body, and then they are reduced. By the time of metamorphosis, the hind limbs, up to this similar in size to the front ones, become more powerful, with developed muscles. In the process of metamorphosis, the larval fin fold and external gills disappear.
Natural enemies
Salamis have many natural enemies. Its clutches and larvae are eaten by insects, molluscs, fish and other amphibians. Birds, mammals, and snakes hunt adults. Only secrecy, stealth and patronizing coloration save them.
The huge range and high population density of salamanders allow not to fear for the fate of the species, at least in the foreseeable future. At the same time, this newt, like other amphibians, is sensitive to destruction and pollution of its habitats and needs protection.
In contact with
Loading...
