Salamander

Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by a lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All present-day salamander families are grouped together under the scientific name Urodela. Salamander diversity is most abundant in the Northern Hemisphere and most species are found in the Holarctic ecozone, with some species present in the Neotropical zone.

Salamanders never have more than four toes on their front legs and five on their rear legs, but some species have fewer digits and others lack hind limbs. Their permeable skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or other cool, damp places. Some salamander species are fully aquatic throughout their lives, some take to the water intermittently, and others are entirely terrestrial as adults. Unique among vertebrates, they are capable of regenerating lost limbs, as well as other damaged parts of their bodies. Members of the family Salamandridae are mostly known as newts and lack the costal grooves along the sides of their bodies typical of other groups. The skin of some species contains the powerful poison tetrodotoxin and these salamanders tend to be slow-moving and have bright warning coloration to advertise their toxicity. Salamanders typically lay eggs in water and have aquatic larvae, but great variation occurs in their lifecycles. In some species and some harsh environments, salamanders reproduce while still in the larval state.

Salamander (TV series)

Salamander is a Belgian drama television series that was first broadcast on Eén on December 30, 2012. The twelve-part series is produced by Skyline Entertainment and written by Ward Hulselmans.

Plot

Jonkhere is a small private bank in Brussels, Belgium. At the start of the series, 66 separate safe deposit boxes belonging to a number of the most prominent public figures in Belgium are robbed. The owners want to keep the thefts under wraps to avoid scandal, but an incorruptible, old-school police inspector Paul Gerardi (Filip Peeters) throws himself into the investigation. Gerardi discovers that the victims are members of a secret organisation called Salamander, a cabal made up of the country's industrial, financial, judicial and political elite, and the safe-deposit boxes contained their most intimate secrets – secrets which go back to World War II and could bring down the nation. As he becomes the target of both the criminals and the authorities, Gerardi - at great personal cost - must quickly find out what their agenda is and who is behind the thefts.

Salamander (disambiguation)

A salamander is an amphibian.

Salamander may also refer to:

In mythology

In arts and entertainment

In film and television

In gaming

In literature

Vishnu

Vishnu (Sanskrit pronunciation: [vɪʂɳu]; Sanskrit: विष्णु, Viṣṇu) is one of the most significant deities in Hinduism. He is the Supreme god Svayam Bhagavan of Vaishnavism (one of the principal denominations of Hinduism). He is also known as Narayana and Hari. As one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta tradition, he is conceived as "the Preserver or the Protector"

In Hindu sacred texts, Vishnu is usually described as having dark complexion of water-filled clouds and having four arms. He is depicted as a pale blue being, as are his incarnations Rama and Krishna. He holds a padma (lotus flower) in his lower left hand, the Kaumodaki gada (mace) in his lower right hand, the Panchajanya shankha (conch) in his upper left hand and the discus weapon considered to be the most powerful weapon according to Hindu Religion Sudarshana Chakra in his upper right hand.

Etymology

The traditional explanation of the name Vishnu involves the root viś, meaning "to settle" (cognate with Latin vicus, English -wich "village," Slavic: vas -ves), or also (in the Rigveda) "to enter into, to pervade," glossing the name as "the All-Pervading One".Yaska, an early commentator on the Vedas, in his Nirukta, (etymological interpretation), defines Vishnu as viṣṇur viṣvater vā vyaśnoter vā, "one who enters everywhere". He also writes, atha yad viṣito bhavati tad viṣnurbhavati, "that which is free from fetters and bondages is Vishnu".

Vishnu (disambiguation)

Vishnu is a God in Hinduism.

Vishnu may also refer to:

People with the given name

See also

Vishnu Vishal

Vishnu Vishal is a Indian film actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. He started his acting career, playing the lead role in the sports film Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu, winning acclaim for his portrayal. Vishnu won further acclaim for his role in Neerparavai (2012), portraying a fisherman.

Early life and family

Vishnu was born as Vishal to Ramesh Kudawla, a high-ranking Tamil Nadu police officer. He finished his schooling in Campion Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School in Tiruchirappalli. After completing his MBA in marketing from SRM University, he went on to become a cricketer, playing in TNCA league games. However a leg injury ended his cricket career and the actor noted that during the time he was bedridden, he started watching films and began an interest in an acting career. His father's uncle had been an actor in several small films and he shaped Vishnu's interest in the industry. He entered the film industry changing his name to Vishnu to which he later added his birth name.