Salamanders

Salamanders

Salamanders
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	10.37

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		burning, carnivorous, defy, newt, terrestrial, untrue, aspect, despite, definitely, occasionally, hence, ancient, harmless, species, poisonous, running
	content words:		In Greek

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Salamanders

¹     Back in ancient times, people believed that there was a lizard-like creature capable of resisting fire. Indeed, as they threw a log onto a fire, they often found a mysterious animal crawling out from the burning log unscathed. Amazed, they gave this unknown animal a Greek name "salamander." In Greek, the word literally means "fire lizard."

²     This legend, unfortunately, has two unfounded facts. The first is that salamanders are not lizards. Related to frogs and toads, salamanders belong to the family group of amphibians. Like their hopping relatives, salamanders have moist, scale-less skin. This specific physical feature marks the biggest difference between amphibians and reptiles. Reptiles that include lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and snakes have dry, tough, scaled skins.

³     As for salamanders' rumored ability to defy fire, it is also untrue. Salamanders prefer damp, protected areas, so logs are definitely high on the list of their housing options. Hence, as we see them emerging from flaming logs, they are really running for their lives, not attempting to tamper with fire.

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