A small Siberian chipper knows how to live in extreme conditions for up to 100 years. Researchers have recorded cases when an animal that remained frozen in ice for a century, returned to active life after thawing. Learn the amazing secret of amphibian vitality.
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Description and features of the Siberian Coral Tooth
Salamandrella keyserlingii - amphibian from the family of angliot. The body length of an adult with a tail is 8–12 cm. The color is grayish-brown or brownish with small spots and a light golden stripe on the back. A12-15 pronounced transverse stripes cover the smooth skin of the body. In the mating season, males have a small and dim scallop. The amphibian head is wide, flattened, with high set eyes. The teeth are angled. 4 toes on the hind legs are a distinctive feature of the Siberian lugfish from other animals of this species. That is why it is called the "four-fingered newt." The tail and limbs of the male are longer than that of the female.
Habitat and lifestyle of the northern amphibian
The Siberian Coral Tooth lives in ¾ territory of Russia - in Siberia, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands - and in the eastern regions of Europe. The Arctic Circle, taiga, tundra are included in the distribution area of caudate amphibians. Most of their lives, animals live on land, near rivers, ponds. They are not very afraid of people, they can be found in city parks, villages. The Siberian Coral Tooth is active in the evening and at night. In the afternoon, he hides under the roots of trees, fallen leaves. Sometimes immersed in silt, exposing the nostrils.
Amphibian is characterized by high cold resistance.It tolerates temperatures of 35–40 ° C and survives in permafrost. Direct sunlight, heat is dangerous for the chisel. The skin of the animal dries, darkens from a long stay on land. At a temperature of +27 0С the amphibian dies. The average lifespan of an angler is 8 years.
Triton Nutrition
Earthworms, mollusks, millipedes, and other insects living near water bodies are the basis of the amphibian diet. Triton hunts at night at a leisurely pace. Its prey is most often inactive. He is looking for food on land, in water. Finds a victim with the help of sight, smell.
Wintering of the Siberian Coral Tooth
The animal is awake 5-6 months a year, spends the rest of the time in hibernation. Interesting facts about the cold resistance of the toothfish:
- Amphibian larvae withstand hypothermia up to 6 ° C.
- Adults are active under conditions from +4 to 0 0C.
Scientists have recorded cases when newts came to life after a century of numbness in ice without negative consequences for the body.
Wintering begins in September-October, ends in April-early May. A four-fingered newt spends hibernation in a state of suspended animation. During this period, the body practically does not function. Triton hides in secluded places - tree trunks, cracks in the soil at a depth of 7-10 cm.
The animal prepares for winter, getting rid of water in the body. Loss of fluid reaches up to 28% of total body weight. The secret of frost resistance of an amphibian is proper nutrition and the body's ability to accumulate glycogen in the liver and muscles. During the wintering process, the substance is converted to glycerin, makes the internal organs elastic.
The ability to tolerate multiple periods of freezing and thawing is another feature of the Siberian lugfish. Thanks to this ability, animals survive in the cold spring, when they do not have time to reach reservoirs for breeding, freezing along the way.
Reproduction and offspring
These amphibians reach puberty by 3 years. They breed in the spring, immediately after the release of water from ice. Amphibian, unlike reptiles, reproduces in the aquatic environment. Anglers choose shallow places with stagnant water with a temperature of +14 to + 180C. Rivers, large lakes do not attract them.
A female performs a mating dance, holding her paws on a stalk or branch, laying eggs. The male fertilizes her. The breeding period lasts 1.5–2 weeks.
The masonry consists of two elongated sacs with eggs twisted into a spiral in 2–2.5 turns. The female attaches them at the surface of the water to snags or sedges at a depth of 5-50 cm with an adhesive cord. The total number of eggs varies from 51 to 216 pcs. One plant may have several pairs of pouches belonging to different individuals. Caviar develops depending on temperature from 2 to 4 weeks.
Dark spotted larvae with uneven spots are active around the clock. The period of their development is 1 month. They are adapted to life in water thanks to cirrus gills on the body, fin on the fingers. In the future, these devices disappear.
In July – August, the cubs are born, breaking the walls of the sac. They move to land, continue to grow. Development ends by 3 years.
Natural enemies
Danger often lies in wait for amphibians in nature. Insects, fish exterminate its larvae. Birds, mammals, snakes feed on adults. Natural coloring, careful behavior save the amphibian from death. Danger comes from man too. Environmental pollution negatively affects the life of the animal. The Red Book of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Yakutia, and other regions of Russia contains information about the Siberian Coral Tooth. The happy future of this small but very persistent newt depends on our careful attitude.
Scientists continue to uncover the amphibian phenomenon, hoping to get closer to the clue to its survival in extreme conditions.
