One of my daughters found a tailless specimen this summer. I subsequently learned that this species will drop its tail to escape a predator. Despite salamanders' obscure existence, they are an important part of the food web in many moist woodlands. The population density of Plethodontidae can reach 600 or 700 per acre, exceeding the biomass of all other vertebrates. So next time you wander through a moist, leafy forest, try flipping a few logs and see if you notice any tiny, lithe, four-legged creatures among the beetles, ants and centipedes.
Salamanders are just one of the many fascinating groups of organisms that often escape our notice.
Now we don't see many of them. For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Van Waffle's Living With Nature topic, please visit the Discussions page . Used under License.