You Discover a New Species of Salamander

question 72

Essay

You discover a new species of salamander. From your research, it appears that this species is highly endangered. You would like to establish a new breeding population of the salamanders in a protected area that is 300 km from the area where you first discovered them. There are no individuals of your new salamander currently living in the protected area. Imagine that you find that the environmental conditions in the new area differ from those at the discovery site. How would you determine whether the salamanders could survive in the new area, and what additional considerations would you have to take into account because of their likely status as an endangered species?

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Definitions:

Vomer

A thin, flat bone that forms part of the nasal septum, which separates the left and right airways in the nose.

Ethmoid

A spongy bone located at the base of the nasal cavity that separates the nose from the brain.

Mastoid Process

A bony projection located behind the ear on the skull, part of the temporal bone, involved in muscle attachment and containing air cells linked to the middle ear.

Mastoid Air Cells

Spaces within the mastoid process of the temporal bone connected to the middle ear by ducts.