Salamanders are small, quiet animals that live in wet places like forests, ponds, and underground tunnels. They move slowly and stay out of sight, making it hard to know what they see, smell, or hear.
One thing that many people notice when they look at a salamander is the lack of ears. They have no ear holes, no flaps, and no signs of anything that looks like an outer ear.
Salamanders do not have external ears like people do. Instead, they use bones in their heads, skin on their bodies, and parts of their inner ears to sense vibrations and low-pitched sounds.
Why Don’t Salamanders Have Ears Like Other Animals?
Most animals that live on land use external ears to catch sounds traveling through the air. But salamanders spend much of their time underground, under water, or in damp soil.
In these environments, sounds traveling through the air do not move well. Instead, vibrations move better through the ground or water.
Salamanders have adapted to this. Their bodies are built to pick up low sounds that travel as waves through solid surfaces.
So, they do not need big ear flaps, or ear canals to hear what matters to them.
How Do Vibrations Travel Through a Salamander’s Body?
Salamanders are sensitive to movements in the ground and in water. When something large moves nearby (like a predator walking or a rock falling) the ground or water vibrates.
These vibrations travel through the salamander’s body and reach the bones in the head, especially a small bone called the columella.
This bone moves slightly when it picks up a vibration, and that movement gets passed to the salamander’s inner ear.
The inner ear senses these shifts and sends signals to the brain. This allows the salamander to detect movement, danger, or other animals nearby.
What Is Bone Conduction?
The method that salamanders use to “hear” is called bone conduction. This means that instead of sound waves hitting an eardrum, vibrations travel through bones in the skull.
Bone conduction works well for sensing low-frequency sounds, which are the deep, soft sounds made by movement or splashing water.
It does not work well for high-pitched sounds, like bird calls or sharp noises.
So salamanders are best at sensing rumbling, tapping, or slow, deep sounds that pass through the ground or water.
Do Salamanders Have Eardrums?
No. Salamanders do not have external eardrums like frogs or humans. They also do not have middle ears, which most land animals use to process sound.
Instead, they have an inner ear, which is the deepest part of the hearing system.
This part is made up of soft tissues and small structures that sense balance and sound. It is good for picking up slow, steady vibrations but does not detect fast or high sounds very well.
How Do Salamanders Hear Underwater?
Water carries vibrations differently than air. Underwater, sounds move faster and reach the body more evenly.
Salamanders that live in water can sense these water-borne vibrations through both their skin and bones.
Their soft skin lets the waves move directly into the body, and the bones carry the signal to the inner ear. This helps them detect the movement of prey, predators, or other animals swimming nearby.
It also helps in dark water, where they can not rely on their eyes.
What Kinds of Sounds Can Salamanders Detect?
Salamanders are best at sensing:
- Footsteps near their hiding spot
- Raindrops or water flow
- Splashing or movement in shallow pools
- Low grunts or rumbles from other animals
- Shifting rocks or soil underground
They cannot hear sounds like human speech, high-pitched bird calls, or loud music. Instead, they pick up signals that move through the ground or water. This works well in the wet, quiet places where they live.
Are Some Salamanders Better at Sensing Vibrations?
Yes. Some species are more sensitive than others, depending on where they live. For example:
- Aquatic species like axolotls or mudpuppies are good at sensing movement through water
- Cave salamanders have adapted to sense tiny vibrations in total darkness
- Burrowing salamanders rely on soil movement to detect danger
- Others, like tree-dwelling salamanders, may not use their hearing as much and rely more on touch or smell.
Each species has a system that fits its environment.
Do Salamanders Use Hearing to Communicate?
Most salamanders do not use sound to talk to each other the way frogs or birds do. They do not call, sing, or make loud noises.
However, some use low body vibrations or soft movements during mating. For example, a male may gently tap or press his body during courtship.
The female may sense this through direct contact or surface vibration. So while sound is not a main tool for communication, touch and movement still play a role.
What About the Brain? Can Salamanders Process Sound?
Salamanders have simple brains, but they do process basic sensory input. Their inner ear connects to parts of the brain that handle movement, balance, and vibration. They can react to sound-related signals, such as:
- Freezing when they feel nearby footsteps
- Turning toward water splashing
- Hiding after sensing a sudden ground movement
Their brains help them survive, but they do not respond to sound the way a human or a dog would. They react to vibrations as part of their basic awareness of the world.
Can Salamanders Be Deaf?
Since salamanders do not “hear” in the usual sense, it is hard to say if they can go deaf. But if the inner ear is damaged, or if the bones stop passing on vibration, they may stop sensing movement altogether.
This would make it harder for them to find food, avoid danger, or mate.
Also, if a salamander is too dry or sick, its skin may not pick up ground signals well. In this way, their sense of hearing depends on good health and safe surroundings.
How Do Scientists Study Salamander Hearing?
Researchers use gentle tests to measure how salamanders respond to vibration. These include:
- Playing low-frequency sounds through the ground or water
- Watching for body movement or reactions
- Using sensors to track muscle signals or brain activity
These studies show that salamanders respond best to sounds between 100 and 1000 hertz, which are deep and slow.
They also show that salamanders rely more on body movement and touch than on hearing alone.
Why Does This Matter?
Knowing how salamanders hear helps us understand:
- How they survive in dark or quiet places
- Why they need moist, safe environments
- How pollution, noise, or vibration might harm them
- What makes their senses different from other animals
It also helps in caring for salamanders in captivity. Loud noises, dry air, or shaking tanks can stress or confuse them, even if they do not react like mammals. Keeping their world calm and steady helps them feel safe.
Summary of How Salamanders Hear
Here’s a quick list of how salamanders sense sound:
- No outer ears
- No middle ear or eardrum
- Use bone conduction to feel vibrations
- Sense movement through skin, skull, and inner ear
- Best at detecting low-frequency sounds
- Rely more on vibration and touch than on true hearing
- Stay alert to danger through ground and water signals
It is a simple but effective system for the places they live.
Conclusion
Salamanders do not have ears like humans, but that does not mean they are deaf.
They sense sound through vibration, using their skin, skull bones, and inner ear to pick up deep, slow signals from the world around them.
This quiet, careful system fits the way they live, hidden, still, and alert. By understanding how salamanders hear, we learn more about how they move, survive, and stay safe in the wild. Their hearing may be simple, but it helps them in just the right way.
Hi, my name is Ezra Mushala, i have been interested animals all my life. I am the main author and editor here at snakeinformer.com.