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Salamanders fill their toes with blood before each step

Wandering salamanders pump their toes full of blood before lifting their feet, a trick that may help them release their sticky grip while conserving energy

By Sofia Quaglia

31 January 2025

×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

The translucent toes of a wandering salamander

William P. Goldenberg

How salamanders manage to move around on uneven, vertical tree surfaces with such dexterity has long baffled scientists. A new discovery suggests they use a trick out of a horror movie: filling their toes with pools of blood.

While at Washington State University was observing wandering salamanders (Aneides vagrans) through a close-up camera in 2021 in a coastal redwood forest, he noticed blood moving in a rhythmic pattern under their translucent skin. Before lifting their foot to take a step, blood inundated the tips of the salamanders’…

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