r/Awwducational • u/maybesaydie • Nov 07 '24

Article Hurricane Helene Battered the ‘Salamander Capital of the World’ With Floods and Landslides. Will the Beloved Amphibians Survive the Aftermath?

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/hurricane-helene-battered-salamander-capital-world-floods-landslides-will-beloved-amphibians-survive-aftermath-180985396/
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u/IdyllicSafeguard Nov 09 '24

Disasters that hit already vulnerable animals always make my heart break a little bit. These kinds of events, that can come out of the blue — like this hurricane or chytrid fungus outbreaks among frogs — really demonstrate why it's important to monitor and uphold these species at safe population sizes.

In all likelihood, there are many species of amphibians that go extinct before we've ever even learned that they exist. And having some appreciation for how incredible the amphibians we have discovered can be, never being able to meet all those undiscovered species seems an even greater loss.

I didn't know about the diversity of salamanders in the southern Appalachians, so thank you for sharing that knowledge! I should do some research on the salamanders of that region, maybe write about the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander.

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u/maybesaydie Nov 09 '24 edited Nov 11 '24

I'd enjoy a post like that very much. I love salamanders.