this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2024
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Reptiles and Amphibians

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[PDF] Effect of hydration state on locomotor performance and water searching behavior of the terrestrial lungless salamander Bolitoglossa ramosi (www.researchgate.net)
submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Wait...

  • Hydrated salamanders move faster than dehydrated salamanders.
  • Dehydrated salamanders find water faster than hydrated ones.
  • Dehydrated salamanders and hydrated salamanders don't find water any differently in terms of the number of locations searched in the labyrinth.

If the hydrated ones move faster and search the same way, wouldn't they find the water faster?

Basically, dehydrated salamanders don't run away from a poke in the butt as fast but they do move faster when searching for water. Is that it?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Basically, dehydrated salamanders don’t run away from a poke in the butt as fast but they do move faster when searching for water. Is that it?

Yes, exactly, that's it!

When you poke the salamanders, the hydrated salamanders move faster than the dehydrated salamanders.

The dehydrated salamanders are more motivated to find water. They find the water faster because they actively try to seek water.

From the article:

we consider that the difference between these two results may be attributed to the fact that dehydrated salamanders could be more motivated to search for a water source than those hydrated. On the contrary, in the locomotor performance test, as all salamanders were stimulated or forced to move, it is probable that hydrated animals were able to perform a higher speed than those dehydrated due to their better physiological condition.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Makes sense.

I'm just glad someone is out there poking salamanders in the butt for science :p