The secrets of salamander toes

Did you know there’s a species of salamander that skydives? Although wandering salamanders don’t have wings, they can glide over treetops. The creatures are able to grab onto and let go of tree branches as they move. Researchers from Washington State University have now discovered that the secret to the animals’ super grip lies in the blood in their toes. The team was studying the behavior of wandering salamanders and noticed that when they wanted to take a step forward, blood rushed to fill the ends of their toes. Once the salamanders put their feet down on a surface, the blood in their toes flowed back out. The movement of the blood changed the stiffness of the salamanders’ toes, which the scientists think affects their grip. Christian Brown, who led…

You're reading a preview of

The Week Junior US (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 256

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.