News: Every monsoon in Darjeeling hills, breeding habitats of the Himalayan salamander are shrinking, prompting restoration efforts by the West Bengal Forest Department.
About Himalayan Salamander
- The Himalayan salamander (Tylototriton himalayanus) is a rare, semi-aquatic amphibian found in the hilly regions of the Eastern Himalaya.
- It is one of only two salamander species in India, the other being Tylototriton verrucosus.
- Habitat: It lives in cold mountainous regions, including forests, rice fields, tea gardens, and shores of mountain ponds and lakes.
- Distribution: It occurs from Nepal eastwards through the eastern Himalayas to Southeast Asia, including India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Southwest China.
- In India, it is recorded from several northeastern regions, including the Darjeeling district.
- Key characteristics
- Body structure: It has a lizard-like body with a blunt oval head, flat snout, distinct bony ridges, rows of knob-like dorsal warts, and a laterally compressed tail with a fin fold.
- Colouration: Its body is dark to light brown on the upper side, becomes light brown on the sides, and appears creamy on the lower side
- Behavior: It emerges from beneath the forest floor during the monsoon to breed, performs a slow mating dance for about 90 minutes, and migrates to seasonal ponds to lay eggs on semi-submerged vegetation.
- Threat
- Habitat destruction
- Pollution
- Freshwater fish introduction
- Killing for food or medicinal use threaten survival
- Conservation Status:
- Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
- Least Concern by the IUCN
