Salamanders

## *Unknown*

**Salamanders** are an unusual amphibious variety of lizard that are as at home in the water as they are on land. Unlike other lizards, they lack head coloration independent from their body and tend to be found in or near the water. They have a short sticky tongue and resemble axolotls, with visible pink gill-like structures on their heads. They come in two main varieties: dark red/violet and white. The only difference between the two is their coloration. Gill color can range from pink to a red/violet color.

## Abilities/Behavior

### Movement

Salamanders tend to prefer being underwater, as they swim faster than they walk. They can be difficult to see when the water is murky, and may wind up catching slugcat by surprise if the player is not careful. In water they will swim faster than Slugcat can in a straight line, but can be outmaneuvered if the player is quick. Out of water, they move similarly to a Magenta Lizard, able to climb up poles but unable to climb walls.

### Tongue

Like their terrestrial cousins, Blue Lizards and Cyan Lizards, Salamanders have a short sticky tongue they use to pull in their prey from a close range.

## Strategy

### Combat

Fighting tends to be more difficult with salamanders due to the tendency for them to ambush you in water. The first thing that you should do is leave the water as spear and rocks do not work at a long enough distance to be effective while submerged. After getting the salamander on the ground, treat it like any terrestrial lizard. The tongue will likely come into play when it's no longer submerged, but a well aimed rock should dislodge you should it manage to stick you with it. From then on, they take the same amount of spears to kill as a magenta lizard.

### Stealth

Sneaking works on land well enough as they tend to have poor eyesight and hearing when not submerged, but in the water it becomes more difficult. Avoid trying to sneak past one that is swimming near the shoreline. If you're in Drainage System or in the underground section of Shoreline, a snail will attract its attention or knock it out. In Shoreline, they tend to be on lower ground or in the water, often blocking vital pathways, making sneaking by without them noticing rather difficult.

### Evasion

Salamanders can be easily escaped by moving to higher ground since they can only climb poles. Underwater, Slugcat may be able to slip past a salamander by quickly diving beneath them and resurfacing in a semicircular pattern, but this does not work in a shallow pool. In that case, swim in the opposite direction and seek land. If Slugcat is caught by their tongue, hopping over the salamander's head will usually free slugcat, but this must be timed correctly when they have just closed their mouths in order not to get caught as you go over.

## Trivia

* Curiously, despite being adapted for aquatic terrain, their code suggests their movement speed in water is only 0.2, which is a trait shared by Magenta, Black, and White Lizards. The fastest swim speed in the code is the Red Lizard at 1.9 with Green, Blue, and Orange Lizards following in that order. It is worth noting that the rest of these lizard species typically avoid swimming if they can, and will almost never dive downwards to chase Slugcat.
* Salamanders are not capable of being lineaged in their non-native regions, and are not a part of the Dragonslayer achievement.
* Salamanders appear as varying shades of pink when going through pipes, which can cause them to be confused with magenta lizards.