The wandering salamander can spend its entire 20-year lifespan in the canopy of a coast redwood. When predators come calling, they have a special skill that helps them get away: skydiving. These little amphibians have no webbed appendages and no wings, but they’re some of the most skillful skydivers out there. By carefully repositioning its tail and feet, a wandering salamander controls its pitch, yaw, and roll. It’s not only able to orient itself as it falls; it can actually steer itself to a safe landing! Other salamander species, as seen in the video above, do not share this skill. Check out the full Deep Look video to see these incredible gliders in action. (Video and image credit: Deep Look; see also C. Brown)
Celebrating the physics of all that flows