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Why so scared of the dark? While most fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) are nocturnal, those of the Spanish island San Martiño have an unusual proclivity for daytime activity. However, the fire salamanders on the island of Ons, a mere 12 km away, retain their night owl habits. Velo-Antón (2024) explores whether predation pressure from another creature of the night, black rats (Rattus rattus), explains the dramatic behavioral shift of San Martiño’s fire salamanders. Twelve camera traps each were placed on San Martiño and Ons and baited with S. salamandra carcasses for 48 hours. Almost every camera on both islands captured footage of rats gnawing on the corpses, seemingly unaffected by the potent poisons and dramatic yellow and black coloration of the salamanders. No other predators were seen chowing down, though one wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) was brave enough to attempt a nibble before fleeing. Thus, black rats indeed consume fire salamanders, but there was not a clear difference in predation pressure that would explain the diurnality of San Martiño salamanders. This raises the spooky question: what else makes the fire salamanders of San Martiño so unwilling to venture forth into the night?
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