Bell's False Brook Salamander

Fascinating facts about the Bell's False Brook Salamander

• A salamander that lives under logs, rocks, and leaf litter in high-elevation pine and pine-oak forests of the Mexican Plateau shows surprising resilience, turning up in coffee plantations and even garden backyards near cities.
• Unlike most amphibians, Bell's false brook salamander breathes through its skin because it belongs to the lungless Plethodontidae family, making every moist hideout a vital oxygen source.
• Active only after dark, this nocturnal creature roams the forest floor.
• Scientists suspect that what we call Isthmura bellii actually hides a family of look-alike species; DNA work has already split one former subspecies into a new species, hinting at many hidden lineages yet to be named.

At a glance

More other animals to discover

Browse Feravox