Re: Newtlings

From: TTrotsky_at_aol.com
Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 12:59:59 EST


Ashley Munday:

<< Hmmm, I wonder if there's a race of Newtling style amphibians that behave like that Mexican jobby (I can't remember its' name, Axotl or something?) that keep it's gills throughout its life - even after sexual maturity. However, if their ponds start drying up, some naughty hormone kicks in and they develop lungs pretty damn quick (or perhaps just start using ones they've had all the time), dump the gills, wander off somewhere else and settle down again.>>

     The Axolotl is one of many salamanders which can't be bothered to grow lungs, and retains gills throughout its life. Along with some of the newts, it will grow them if you inject it with thyroxine growth hormone, but I'm not aware that it ever does so in the wild. Olms, waterdogs and mudpuppies (all, like newts, being types of salamander) won't even do this if you inject them, and there are some other examples, such as the dwarf siren, which AFAIK nobody's got round to injecting yet but which certainly don't normally have lungs. Some newts do metamorphose properly but only *after* attaining sexual maturity (though I should add that this would appear to be the opposite of what Newtlings do). A few, such as the 2 foot long Hellbender of the NE USA, do grow lungs, but don't bother to get rid of their gills.

      I'm dubious that such newtlings exist, since they'd need a large freshwater  lake to live in (there are examples of such lakes, I admit, but no evidence that they have newtlings in them). However, I've often thought that something could be done with the ancient Chinese belief that salmanders are baby dragons (some oriental salamanders are quite large, and make the Hellbender look rather puny). While I doubt that this is genuinely the case in Glorantha there ought to be some link between oriental salamanders and at least one Kralorelan True Dragon, IMO. After all, why should all of them make fire-breathing Dream Dragons and nothing else? Such salamanders would have a few nifty magical water-powers, of course, and not just be the natural sort.  

 <<I'd have also thought that Newtlings would have to stay relatively moist most of the time, if they're anything like real Newts as a fair chunk of oxygen comes through their skin. Could be a real bugger in Prax in Fire Season. >>

      Not according to any of the official sources, which agree that they can indeed survive in arid conditions, by virtue of the water stored in their tails.

Forward the glorious Red Army!

     Trotsky


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