To escape predators, salamanders employ a diverse repertoire of anti-predator strategies. While active flight is the most common response, some species utilize chemical defenses, aposematism, stillness, or specialized postures designed to protect vital anatomical structures and deter threats.

Shadowboxing, defined as the simulation of combat without a physical opponent, had never been documented in caudate amphibians. However, a recent study published in Acta Herpetologica provides the first description of shadowboxing utilized as a defensive display by two Amazonian salamander species: Bolitoglossa equatoriana and Bolitoglossa altamazonica.

Due to their restricted geographic ranges, the behavioral ecology of both species remains poorly understood. In 2023, during a nocturnal field survey, an individual B. equatoriana was observed performing this distinct shadowboxing behavior when approached and illuminated by a torch. A comparable display had been recorded under laboratory conditions in 2014, exhibited by an individual B. altamazonica following physical handling.

Significantly, the researcher involved in the 2014 laboratory incident experienced localized skin soreness and redness subsequent to the animal's shadowboxing display. This clinical observation suggests that the physical posture may be functionally linked to the deployment of toxic or irritant skin secretions. While further empirical research is required to clarify the precise ecological role of this posture within Bolitoglossidae, the discovery of this novel behavior emphasizes that natural systems still harbor undiscovered phenomena, underscoring the indispensable value of field studies in animal ethology.

Click here to read the full report regarding this novel behavior and to view the photographic documentation. 

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