Are Salamanders Poisonous? Understanding Salamander Toxicity

Salamanders usually live in puddles, ponds or rice paddies in hilly marshland and their surroundings. From October to March of the following year, they mostly hibernate in soil crevices or under stones near water areas, and from March to September they are mostly active in puddles or rice paddies with abundant aquatic plants at the foot of hills, mostly foraging on the bottom for earthworms, mollusks, insect larvae and so on. Let us take a look below at whether salamanders are poisonous!

Are salamanders poisonous?

Salamanders are poisonous. The tiny glands of salamanders contain a lethal bacterium, and they can use this bacterium to produce a toxin. This toxin is tetrodotoxin, and it is not merely similar, it has a completely identical molecular structure. TTX is a widely present toxin, and because some organisms at the top of the food chain accumulate it in large amounts, it becomes a “biochemical weapon”. Since pufferfish are the typical carriers, it is called tetrodotoxin. When a salamander is attacked, it immediately secretes this lethal neurotoxin.

Is salamander toxicity strong?

In the late 1970s, people had already confirmed that the toxin in salamanders is tetrodotoxin. Tetrodotoxin is an amino perhydroquinazoline-type compound, one of the most toxic neurotoxins found in nature, and was once considered the most toxic non-protein toxin in nature. Its LD50 by intraperitoneal injection in mice is 8 micrograms/kg, its toxicity is more than 1250 times higher than that of cyanide, and 0.5 mg can cause human death. The toxin has a local irritating effect on the intestinal tract, and after absorption it rapidly acts on nerve endings and the nerve center, blocking sodium ion channels on nerve excitable membranes with high selectivity and high affinity, hindering nerve conduction, thereby causing nerve paralysis and death.

How are salamanders kept?

1. Container: After catching salamanders, they can be kept in a large glass fish tank for easy observation of their activities. Spread some washed sand and gravel on the bottom of the tank, pour in 30 cm deep pond water or well water, and put in a small amount of aquatic plants such as hornwort, arranging an ecological environment similar to the capture site. The sand and stones have the effect of adsorbing dirt, and the aquatic plants can carry out photosynthesis, increasing the oxygen content in the water and providing a place for salamanders to lay eggs.

2. Water quality: For keeping salamanders, clean pond water is best, and well water is also suitable. If tap water is used, it can only be used after being left to stand for 3 to 5 days, otherwise the residual chlorine in the tap water will cause salamander poisoning and death. Changing the water is a routine management task. Keeping the water fresh and clean is conducive to the normal life of salamanders. In winter, change the water once every 1 to 2 weeks; in other seasons, change the water once every 3 to 5 days.

3. Food: Salamanders like to eat small live animals. Tubifex worms are a relatively ideal feed and can be added in small amounts every other day. You can also wrap tubifex worms in a single layer of gauze and hang it in the water with a string; the tubifex worms will extend part of their bodies from the gaps in the gauze, and the salamanders will swim over to pull and eat them. In addition, small tadpoles, mosquito larvae, water fleas and so on are also favorite foods of salamanders. When live small animals are lacking, frozen shrimp can also be bought from the supermarket, thawed and cut into small pieces for feeding, or lean pork can be cut into small pieces for feeding. However, note that too much food should not be put in; it is best if no food remains, to prevent food from rotting and affecting water quality.