The pools dry out under the summer sun and are devoid of predators, making them ideal nurseries for tadpoles and salamander larvae. As we walked, Heady pointed out a wide range of other spring ...

These unique habitats are critically important for amphibians that need a place to lay their eggs free of aquatic predators like fish. The salamanders discussed above, as well as wood frogs and spring ...

but those include the danger of predators that are absent from more ephemeral pools. Salamanders are freshwater egg layers, but there are plenty of saltwater egg layers in the spring as well.

A giant, salamander-like predator that sucked its prey into its mouth, then held it in place with huge fangs, was roaming cold swamps 280 million years ago in what is now the Namib desert.