Rolling Salamanders

[Otterwoman]

This is pretty cool...though I don't know how they put that video together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmLS2WXZQxU

Thanks, Michael!

 

[aramcheck]

Great footage!

This is why I never mind paying my TV license fee!

Interestingly enough back home in the south of France people are persuaded that all species of snake can do that, I even got into an argument with my biology teacher over that. (the guy also told the class that 'ecologists' were using helicopters to releasing adders in the wild :talker

 

[IanF]

I saw that video just the other say, anyone know what species of Salamander that is? I actually asked on the video, but it seems no-one knows.

 

[tylototriton]

I've heard about rolling behavior in certain desert animals (I think it was spiders) as a means of escape. According to Kentwood Wells in his "The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians" this species is Hydromates platycephalus. Similar behavior is also apparently found in a toad, Oryophrynella. Like I said, I hadn't heard about this behavior in amphibians before today. Gotta love BBC and David Attenborough.

Alex

 

[taherman]

It's Hydromantes platycephalus.

There's also a video of it here, but not nearly as entertaining as the other one:
http://www.amphibiaweb.org/sounds/Hydromantes_platycephalus.avi

They must have pitched handfulls of salamanders down the hill to get those shots! :dizzy:

-Tim

 

[i_love_necturus]

Hmm, I can't watch the movie fo to embed problems, but I did see a video of something similar to this awhile ago, I remember the salamander looking similar to the arboreal salamander Aneides lugubris . Is there other species that do this?

 

[blueberlin]

I couldn't watch it from this thread either, but found the title directly at youtube easily enough.

-Eva

 

[troutfly]

They are real close to where I am from here in California, I could get to there with about a 3 hour drive to the southeast. I think it would be cool to catch these little guys on video doing that.

 

[Abrahm]

That was amazing! I can't imagine how long it took to gather all that footage. I never heard of an animal doing that but what an amazing way to escape predation.

If you click on the video it will bring it up at youtube for you.