Skydiving salamanders have mastered falling with style

, into wind tunnels, the amphibians assumed a position similar to that of human skydivers and used their tails and feet to slow down and guide their descent. This discovery suggests that other tree-dwelling animals may also have hidden gliding abilities, the team concluded.

Wandering salamanders may leap to escape from predators or to find more promising habitats if food or mates are in short supply. Simply crawling down the trunk of the tree might demand a great deal of time and comes with the risk of drying out or being hunted. “If I take the gravity elevator, I’ll be there in seconds and I don’t have to risk any of these things,” Brown says.

All of these hazards give the amphibians a powerful incentive to develop the ability to maneuver in midair. Brown and his teamthat wandering salamanders jump a little differently than other species. Tricks such as launching off two feet rather than one likely give the animals more control once airborne, he says.

The amphibians also sometimes pumped their tail up and down and moved their limbs to move horizontally. Gliding this way probably helps the animals direct themselves towards fern mats to break their fall.

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