Nature

USA Wildlife Service Shares Incredible Footage Of Rare And Endangered Texas Blind Salamanders

This is a rare chance to see Texas Blind Salamanders that are found only in one part of the US state after which they are named.

The video was shared by the ‘U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’ on their Facebook page yesterday (3 May).

The Texas Blind Salamander (Eurycea rathbuni) is a rare cave-dwelling amphibian. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List of Endangered Species.

National Conservation Training Center,USFWS/Clipzilla

Their body is a pinkish translucent colour and fairly slender.

They can grow up to five inches (12.7 centimetres), but half of their body length comes from their tail alone.

Texas Blind Salamanders live in total darkness. Although they have eyes, they are located under their skin. Because of this feature, they mainly live underwater.

Even though they are blind, the salamander is considered an active predator. When they hunt, they shift their head back and forth under the water and are able to find prey according to feeling the waves underwater.

Their diet mainly consists of snail, shrimp and other invertebrates.

Salamanders usually reside in the aquifer, which is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock. The aquifer provides a cool and oxygen-rich habitat for the salamander.

The Texas Blind Salamander can only be found in Edwards Aquifer, specifically in the San Marcos Area.

This animal is also a sign of clean water. If there is a drought or the water is unclean, the salamanders move locations.

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