Found a spotted salamander today at bio blitz living under a log where it can absorb moisture through its skin to breathe ?#bcsfh2o pic.twitter.com/1L486IKMpE
— Gabi Cohen (@GabiCohen6) September 10, 2017
The group I was in at Bio Blitz was tasked with searching for amphibians. Before we started, our instructor taught us a little bit about the organisms and their environment. What I found most interesting was that the spotted salamander breathes through its skin pores and does not have lungs. Therefore, their natural habitats are in moist places, for example, underneath logs.
Our instructor explained to us how important it is to handle them gently and for short periods of time, so that our hands won’t block their skin pores which would cause them to dry out. We also were told to make sure we put them and the log back exactly how we found it, so we wouldn’t disrupt their natural habitat. I thought this experience epitomized how science should be conducted: we have to be respectful to the wildlife we are observing, so that our learning does not come at a cost to them.
