Congressing or a salamander congress, is a salamander mating ritual which occurs in spring on the Big Night. It is a gathering of salamanders in vernal pools.
Etymology
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Oxford English Dictionary defines congressing as "The action of coming together... a sexual union, copulation, coition." The word comes from the Latin congressus.[1]
Background
editThe mass courtship of salamanders is known as congressing. The event takes place each spring and this migration of salamanders to vernal pools and is known as the Big Night.[2][3] When male and female salamanders meet in the vernal pools it is called a congress. The pools dry up in the summer so fish and other predators cannot survive: this makes the pools a good place for salamanders to breed and lay eggs. Normally fish would eat salamander eggs, but in the vernal pools the eggs are safe. The hatched salamanders can also thrive.[4][2]
Human intervention
editIn cases where salamanders must cross roadways, some communities have built amphibian and reptile tunnels to assist the migrating animals travel below the roadway.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ "Congress". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ a b "The Biggest Night(s) of Spring". Mass Audubon. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Gearing Up For Amphibians' "Big Night"". Scenic Hudson. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ Daly, Christopher B. (27 February 2024). "For Salamanders, The 'Big Night' is Everything". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ Western Ecological Research Center (WERC). "Research Spotlight: New Study Identifies Effective Under-Road Passage Designs for California Tiger Salamanders U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ Brehme, Cheryl S.; Tracey, Jeff A.; Ewing, Brittany A. I.; Hobbs, Michael T.; Launer, Alan E.; Matsuda, Tritia A.; Cole Adelsheim, Esther M.; Fisher, Robert N. (1 November 2021). "Responses of migratory amphibians to barrier fencing inform the spacing of road underpasses: a case study with California Tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) in Stanford, CA, USA". Global Ecology and Conservation. 31: e01857. Bibcode:2021GEcoC..3101857B. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01857. ISSN 2351-9894.