What is the purpose of the lizards in Haven?

In the game haven, there is an entity known as a salamash:

Salamash are large blue geckos with pink underbelly's and legs, and what appear to be pink antenna's all over their heads. They have pink hygrocybe rubescen mushrooms growing from their backs and black eyes. While corrupted by rust, Salamash have a deep purple body with a lighter purple underbelly. Their eyes glow a florescent pink and their mushrooms are encased in crystal.

The wiki (linked above) lists the salamash as an enemy, but every time I encounter one, the only interaction option I seem to get is to scratch it:

What other purpose do they serve, if any?