Alpine salamander

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/alpine-salamander

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Salamandra atra
2. What is the defense mechanism?Secretes toxic alkaloids from dermal glands, providing protection against predators and microbes
3. What does the Alpine salamander look like?It is a dark black amphibian, which helps it blend into rocky mountain areas and may help it absorb heat from the sun.
4. Where does the Alpine salamander live?It lives high up in the mountains of Central and Southern Europe, especially in the Alps, but also in the Pyrenees, Carpathians, and Apennines.

Viviparity: A mode of reproduction in animals where the embryo develops inside the body of the parent, leading to live birth.
Terrestrial Adaptation: Evolutionary traits that enable an organism to live and reproduce on land, rather than in water.
Alkaloids: A group of naturally occurring chemical compounds containing basic nitrogen atoms, often possessing pharmacological or toxic properties.
Urodela: An order of amphibians that includes all salamanders and newts.