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The animal on the cover of Solaris 8 Administrator’s Guide is a spotted salamander. The spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) is native to the woodland forests of eastern North America. These amphibians stay beneath forest litter or underground until the first rainfall of spring, when they migrate to fishless ponds and ditches in the nighttime to breed. There they lay a single mass of up to 200 eggs.
The spotted salamander is distinguished by the two rows of spots that start at its head and continue to the tip of its tail. The spots range from bright yellow to orange, contrasted against dark brown, gray, or black skin. As one of the larger members of the mole salamander family, a spotted salamander can be as long as eight to nine inches, though the average length is five to seven inches. The salamander uses its sticky tongue to catch such invertebrates as earthworms, insects, and mollusks. Its larvae are also carnivorous and can be cannibalistic if necessary.
In ancient times, salamanders were considered mythical creatures that could endure fire without harm. This belief derived from the misconception that when salamanders escaped from a log thrown on a bonfire, they appeared to emerge from the fire.
Linley Dolby was the production ...