By Corryn Wetzel
The tallest trees in the world have salamanders that use an outstretched skydiving posture to slow their descent when they jump or fall to the ground.
The wandering salamanders are found in the canopy of California redwoods and thrive in damp fern platforms.
The fern mats are a refuge up there that allow them to survive in a harsh world.
The salamanders jumped from Brown's hand and assumed a parachuting posture.
Brown and his colleagues designed an experiment that would allow them to watch the action in slow motion. They came up with an ingenious idea: placing the salamanders in a wind tunnel. The researchers were able to record the nuances of the salamander's motion with the help of the machine.
Everyone was floored initially when they dropped them in the wind tunnel. The salamanders slowed their vertical speed by stretching their legs, and they used their tails as rudders.
The team wanted to see if the ability was limited to wandering salamanders. The black and speckled salamanders are known to climb trees while the ensatina salamanders live on the ground. The wandering salamander, which lives furthest from the forest floor, assumed the skydiving position every time it adopted a splayed posture.
They could not only keep themselves upright, but they could maneuver, bank turns, and right themselves when they went upside down.
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