Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this virtual keeper chat, get tips on how to spot our Appalachian salamanders from Reptile Discovery Center keeper Sara Hasenstab!
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Many salamanders are ambush predators. The bigger, bulkier species tend to lunge at prey. Smaller species—including long-tailed salamanders and cave salamanders—have a different strategy.
With prey in its sights, a salamander quickly contracts its muscles, causing the hyoid bone in its mouth to protrude. In the blink of an eye, the salamander’s elongated, sticky tongue has secured its meal. The northern red salamander can extend and withdraw its tongue in just 11 milliseconds!
In this virtual keeper chat, get tips on how to spot our Appalachian salamanders from Reptile Discovery Center keeper Sara Hasenstab!
. . .
Many salamanders are ambush predators. The bigger, bulkier species tend to lunge at prey. Smaller species—including long-tailed salamanders and cave salamanders—have a different strategy.
With prey in its sights, a salamander quickly contracts its muscles, causing the hyoid bone in its mouth to protrude. In the blink of an eye, the salamander’s elongated, sticky tongue has secured its meal. The northern red salamander can extend and withdraw its tongue in just 11 milliseconds!
