<i>Hynobius retardatus</i> color fade

[TJ]

Before:

After:

Same individual. The first pic was taken a few weeks ago and the others today. I think it might be due to absence of light as color seemed to return the longer it was exposed to light. However, I noticed this during feeding and didn't wait to see how much color would return.

 

[henk]

Tim , I have the experience that these animals color fade at dark and come back to norpmal by day. However this one is out of scale ... I had one mysefl that remained all faded day and night, but unfortunatelly I lost it during raising ...

Maybe that I will get some back with this years breeding ??

 

[TJ]

That fading was just temporary. Here is the same salamander as of today:

(Message edited by TJ on March 13, 2005)

 

[TJ]

And here it is four months later:

(Message edited by tj on November 15, 2005)

 

[TJ]

Here is a pic of a black one I also keep:

Henk, have you seen H. retardatus like this before? I wonder if it is a regional variation.

(Message edited by tj on November 15, 2005)

 

[TJ]

OK, I managed to "shed some light" on the photo subject:

...though in normal light it appears almost pitch black.

 

[TJ]

Here's an up-to-date photo of this animal, which is about 15 cm in length:

Not shy at all and readily takes worm after worm

 

[TJ]

And here's the other one, the one pictured at the top, the one I raised from an egg, the one in which the shade of color changes from time to time:

(Message edited by tj on November 15, 2005)

 

[terry]

Tim, did we not have a speculation that some newts change their colours in accordance to light variations like frogs? Is it not an amphibian trait? To be paler at night or in darkness and being more colourful in daylight?

 

[joan]

I know my Triturus and the axolotls will fade in the dark, such as when they were in the basement and I forgot to turn the lights on during the day, and then suddenly remembered. Although I don't ever remembering the change being THAT drastic. That's awesome.