Salamanders anyone?

[Megan Megatoast]

I was outside foraging through the woods when I lifted up a log and found dozens of salamanders. I quickly grabbed them up and put them in a jar and thought that I could maybe eat them.

When I got home I rinsed the soil off of them and popped one in my mouth. It was surprisingly good. It was smooth, a bit tangy and tasted nothing like anything before! I recommend putting pepper on the little things. 

[djr_81]

I'd do a bit more research before popping one in my mouth. Many amphibians have defensive toxins of varying strength in their skin.

[Megan Megatoast]

Well I had researched the animals in my area before I drew my conclusions. Its the red ones here that are poisonous.

[djr_81]

OK then. I just didn't want you to hurt yourself on a whim. They look so innocuous but looks can be deceiving.

It would personally take me being in a very starved state to eat a salamander. I grew up catching all sorts of amphibians and reptiles so have that closeness with them as pets. I think I actually prefer them to mammals. 

[PaleoPhil]

Did you also check to see if it's endangered?

[roony]

Did you also check to see if it's endangered?

meh, we dont believe in endangered species, we believe in natural selection & survival of the fittest ...

[djr_81]

Did you also check to see if it's endangered?

If it's similar to the salamander shown it's most likely a crevice salamander, also known as a Yonahlossee Salamander (See the third photo on this link). The Wiki stub shows it as "Least Concern" status.

[Megan Megatoast]

Yeah, its a crevice salamander. 

[jessica]

eww haha were they frozen/hybernating as lizards do when its cold?  or do you live somewhere warm?  was its wiggling when you ate it? how big are they?

[William]

Robert O. Becker M.D., a bone man, while at a V.A. hospital in northern New York state, used salamanders while trying to discover how come they can grow a new leg or tail, while we can't. It turned out that the difference is that they have relatively huge diameter nerves compared to brain size, while we have wee skinny nerves in comparison - so the electrical field generate by the ends of the cut nerves is too weak (and, he wrote, switches to the wrong polarity).
He invented the electrical field-generating widget that is used to this day to make bones heal better and quicker in hospitals, and actually got human amputations to regrow an inch of bone before his grant was cancelled.

His book was called "The Body Electric".

[roony]

Robert O. Becker M.D., a bone man, while at a V.A. hospital in northern New York state, used salamanders while trying to discover how come they can grow a new leg or tail, while we can't. It turned out that the difference is that they have relatively huge diameter nerves compared to brain size, while we have wee skinny nerves in comparison - so the electrical field generate by the ends of the cut nerves is too weak (and, he wrote, switches to the wrong polarity).
He invented the electrical field-generating widget that is used to this day to make bones heal better and quicker in hospitals, and actually got human amputations to regrow an inch of bone before his grant was cancelled.

His book was called "The Body Electric".

Nothing to do with nerve cells, it's relatively easy to grow back fingers etc. as long as you catch the injury in time

[PaleoPhil]

meh, we dont believe in endangered species, we believe in natural selection & survival of the fittest ...

Who is "we"?