How a tiny amphibian masters the art of midair skydiving
High in the canopy of California's redwoods, a small predator faces a vertical crisis. To escape hungry birds, the wandering salamander performs a daring feat of aerial acrobatics, using its limbs and tail to navigate the air like a professional skydiver.
Living far above the forest floor, the wandering salamander (Aneides vagubrans) inhabits the damp fern mats of California's coast redwoods. These massive evergreen trees can reach heights comparable to 30-floor skyscrapers and live for over 2,000 years. In this high-altitude environment, roughly 60 metres above the ground, the salamanders must navigate a perilous world of predators and obstacles. To survive, they have developed a remarkable method of controlled descent when jumping between branches.
Researchers, including Christian Brown from the University of South Florida, investigated this behavior using a vertical wind tunnel. This miniature indoor skydiving facility allowed scientists to observe the animals in slow motion. The study revealed that by splaying their limbs outward, these 4-inch-long amphibians can reduce their vertical falling speed by as much as 10 per cent. Beyond just slowing down, they use their tails as rudders to glide horizontally and can even execute banked turns or right themselves if they flip upside down.
The study also looked at whether this skill is unique to the wandering species. While other species like the arboreal and speckled black salamanders occasionally adopt a splayed posture, and the ground-dwelling ensatina salamander does not, the wandering salamander consistently assumes the parachuting position. This specialized ability is likely an evolutionary necessity for a creature that can spend its entire 20-year lifespan high in the canopy without ever touching the earth below.
Source: Watch Salamanders Skydive! | Deep Look
