ok-my 2 cents here on the subject. i had postponed posting to find an old file of pictures-and post them in the topic section-here is the link
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/55212.html?1141816657
all in all, here is my break down on sal bites;
normally most salamanders do not bite in defense to being handled in the wild.
i have had Desmognathus snap audibly at sticks i use to probe them out of their hiding places in seepages.
my large P waltl females can be tricked into biting on my finger hard enough to be lifted from the water, but they eventually let go when the realize they cant eat me.
my lesser sirens will bite seriously when i put my hands in the water. i trained them to accept being handled in exchange for food-so when i put my hands in the think i have something for them. their bites do hurt a little-i compare it to be being bitten by a duck. they have never drawn blood.
misc sals like tigers, axies and other ambystomids have bitten me by accident during feeding response, these guys also take chunks out of each other in the same eagerness-i have seen tail tips bit off not by aggression. these also dont hurt, and when dealing with me they let go right away.
for A. lugubris i have a breeding couple and 3 of their 3 year old offspring. i have never been bitten by any of these. i even have made an attempt to get the male to bite me (by poking him with my finger in his face repeatedly) but i have never gotten an aggressive response out of him! i have seen bad bites from these guys on conspecifics-so there is some aggression in their nature and these teeth tear salamander flesh badly. only once i have seen the male open his mouth-and that was when i turned over his log and startled him-he changed his mind when i froze and approached him from another angle-he was with the female in the nest with eggs at the time.
