Salamanders

Spotted Salamander

National Park Service

Salamanders make up the amphibian group Caudata, with more than 650 species worldwide. Caudata means tail in Latin, as most salamanders have a long tail. Salamanders are found all over the world and on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. North America is a hot spot for salamander diversity, and the United States has the largest number of different salamander families out of every country in the world. The eastern U.S. and parts of the Appalachian Mountains in particular, contain the most salamander diversity. There are several different species of salamander commonly found in the Upper Delaware Region.

 

Northern Slimy Salamander

National Park Service

Salamanders are incredibly diverse and vary widely in everything from morphology to reproduction. Some say salamanders look like a cross between a lizard and a frog. Salamanders generally have a slim cylindrical body with a tail and moist smooth skin. Bumps called costal grooves segment the body of most salamanders; these bumps help salamanders stay moist by creating channels for water to move over the body. Some salamanders have lungs, some have gills, and others have neither and breathe through their skin. Most have four limbs, although the limbs of some aquatic species are significantly reduced.

 

Northern Red Salamander

National Park Service

The coloration of salamanders varies widely. The Northern Red Salamander, like the name suggests, is a bright coral red or orange color. Meanwhile, the Jefferson Salamander is more subdued with a grayish-black body color. The Spotted Salamander has a dark black to gray body color with two rows of bright yellow spots from the head to the tip of the tail.

Different salamander species have different life cycles and reproductive habits. Salamanders may take advantage of many different habitats throughout their life, from the forest floor to rock crevices to different water bodies. When they first arose, most salamanders would lay eggs in water that hatch into aquatic larvae and eventually metamorphosize into terrestrial adults. Some salamanders have evolved to lay eggs on land, while others retain the eggs and give birth to fully formed young.

Salamanders need to stay cool and moist most of the time to survive. They might spend most of their lives on land under logs or rocks or in burrows dug in damp soil. Otherwise, they might be found in or near small creeks, ponds, and wetlands. Salamanders are carnivorous and may eat insects, spiders, and worms. Larger salamanders may also eat fish or crayfish.

Salamanders are currently threatened by climate change, habitat destruction, chemical pollutants, and epidemic disease. If you come across a salamander in the wild, it’s best to avoid handling it and enjoy salamanders by observation only. The salts and oils on human hands may harm salamander’s sensitive and absorbent skin.

 

Salamanders found in the Upper Delaware Region include:

Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus)

Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum)

Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum)

Northern Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus fuscus fuscus)

Northern Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber ruber)

Northern Slimy Salamander (Plethodon glutinosus)

Northern Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus)

Northern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata)

Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens)

Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)