Salamanders fill their toes with blood to release sticky grip



The translucent toes of a wandering salamander
William P. Goldenberg
How salamanders manage to move around on uneven, vertical tree surfaces with such dexterity has long baffled scientists. A new discovery suggests they use a trick out of a horror movie: filling their toes with pools of blood.
While Christian Brown at Washington State University was observing wandering salamanders (Aneides vagrans) through a close-up camera in 2021 in a coastal redwood forest, he noticed blood moving in a rhythmic pattern under their translucent skin. Before lifting their foot to take a step, blood inundated the tips of the salamanders’…
You Might Also Like
There are five types of sleep – here’s what that means for your health
Sleep can be experienced very differently from one person to the nextPeopleImages/Shutterstock Different people may experience one of five types...
Your happiness in life may not be U-shaped – here’s how it could vary
Our happiness levels are not constant throughout our livesIppei & Janine Photography/Getty Images The commonly held belief that happiness follows...
Jane Goodall, dogged advocate for the natural world, has died aged 91
Jane Goodall studying the behaviour of a chimpanzee during her research in TanzaniaPenelope Breese/Liaison Renowned conservationist Jane Goodall has died...
Two-in-one inhalers slash asthma attacks among young children
Combination asthma inhalers seem to be the best treatment option for all agesSBDIGIT/Getty Images Inhalers that combine providing immediate relief...