Dr. Glenn Tattersall (@tattersallg.bsky.social)

Hydro Hackers: How Salamanders Outsmart “the Drying” For amphibians, water is everything. Their thin skin makes them especially vulnerable to drying out, so staying hydrated is not just about comfort—it is about survival. But how do amphibians manage their hydration state in the face of different…

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Hydro Hackers: How Salamanders Outsmart “the Drying” For amphibians, water is everything. Their thin skin makes them especially vulnerable to drying out, so staying hydrated is not just about comfort—it is about survival. But how do amphibians manage their hydration state in the face of different temperatures and fluctuating humidity? Our recent study on spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) provides some new insights into this question. We exposed salamanders to two temperatures—17°C and 22°C—within a humidity gradient (Fig 1) to understand how salamanders behaved when given the choice to move toward more or less humid conditions under contrasting thermal conditions. http://tattersalllab.com/2025/05/23/hydro-hackers-how-salamanders-outsmart-the-drying/