The Siberian Salamander: Survival Expert
The Siberian salamander (Salamandrella keyserlingii) is remarkable for its adaptation to temperatures as cold as 40°C below zero. It hibernates in winter, surviving in a frozen state, and then thaws out in spring. These amphibians are found across northern Russia from the Urals in the west to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east. In Japan, however, Siberian salamanders are only found around the Kushiro Wetlands. The species likely crossed from Eurasia to Hokkaido via the island of Sakhalin during the last ice age.