About Salamanders
Salamanders originated 150 million years ago during the Triassic period. There are 380 species world wide, and at least 230 are found in the Americas. 10 species have been identified in Montgomery County. They are a nocturnal species and may live from one year to sixty years.
Salamanders vary in that some species are aquatic, some are terrestrial, and some are semi-aquatic, spending part of the time in the water and part on land. Many salamanders are born in the water with gills and as they grow they develop lungs and become terrestrial. Some species retain their gills through their life. Salamanders are able to take up oxygen through the skin; the lungless salamander can also take up oxygen through the membrane of the mouth. Whether aquatic or terrestrial, salamanders need moisture for survival and are only found in wet or damp environments.
Salamanders are clawless and have short, smooth, moist bodies with a long tail. They do not have scales. Salamanders are unable to hear sounds but can sense sound through vibrations in the ground. Their sight and sense of smell are well developed. They are able to smell and taste using their tongue.
Salamanders have small teeth on the upper and lower jaw. They have mucus-forming glands that help to keep them moist (important for survival). These glands also expel toxic secretions when the animal senses danger. They have the ability to drop their tail as a defense mechanism and the tail can regenerate (grow back).
Salamanders do not hibernate. They shed their skin every few days to every few weeks depending on the species, except during cold weather when they do not shed at all. They are found in cool, moist environments and can often be found under rocks or logs. Their carnivorous diet consists mainly of worms, insects, and other salamanders.
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About Newts
Newts are in the Order Caudata, Family Salamandridae. Newts are very similar to salamanders with a few differences. The skin of the newt is rougher and not as slimy. The life stage of the eastern newts is unique (this includes the species found in Montgomery County).
The newt is born in the water, and as the larvae transforms into the red eft form it moves to land for one to three years. After this time, the eft will return to the water and change into an aquatic adult. Sometimes, the red eft stage is passed over and the newt remains aquatic throughout its entire life cycle. When this occurs, there is a chance the newt will retain remnants of its gills even as an adult. Efts have brightly colored skin, a round tail, and very rough skin. Adult newts have olive-brown skin, a vertically compressed tail, and smoother skin.
A newt's diet consists mainly of leeches, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, frog eggs, insects, and juvenile amphibians. Efts primarily eat insects. Newts do not have many predators due to their skin excretions, which most predators find toxic or irritating.
There is one species of newt in Montgomery County.
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List of Common Salamanders and Newts
These salamanders and newts are found along Montgomery County stream banks, in wetlands areas and woods, and in other prime wildlife habitat.
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Dusky Salamander, Desmognathus fuscus
The Dusky Salamander grows to 11.5 cm. The back of the salamander
is a yellow-brown to black color. The patterns vary making this
species difficult to identify. There is a light line between
the eye and the corner of the mouth, and there is a sharply
keeled, knife-edged tail. Young have the dorsal coloration of
gray to brown. On their back, they have pairs of light ovals
with a dark outline sometimes connected with a line running
along the side of the body. Breeding occurs between June and September.
Females lay 12-26 eggs under stones or logs near a stream. They
stay with the eggs until they hatch and remain in contact with
the larvae. When the eggs hatch, the larvae spend a few days
in the moist soil, then continue to the stream where they remain
for several years, at which time they return to land. The main
habitat of the Dusky Salamander is streams, wetlands, and under
stones and logs. They have a home range of 48 square miles.
Their diet mainly consists of spiders, insects, isopods, centipedes,
and oligochaetes. |
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Eastern Mud Salamander, Pseudotriton montanus
The Eastern Mud Salamander grows to a length of 7.5-17.5cm. They have a red body with round black markings and brown eyes. Young salamanders are brightly colored; as the salamander ages, the bright color fades to brown. Mating occurs in the late fall and in December the females lay a clutch of 60-190 eggs in water-filled channels or ponds. Eggs hatch in February. Females lays eggs every other year. This salamander may be found in muddy areas near springs and in swampy environments. The Eastern Mud Salamander may be mistaken for the Red Salamander. The Eastern Mud Salamander, however, generally has a shorter, blunter snout than that of the Red Salamander. |
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Long-tailed Salamander, Eurycea longicauda
The Long-tailed Salamander grows to a length of 16 cm. The tail length is up to two-thirds the size of the body. This species is the only one on the East Coast that has vertical markings on the tail. The dorsal surface is generally red to yellow-orange with dark markings. The immature salamander is yellow with a much shorter tail. Breeding occurs October through March. Female salamanders lay approximately 90 eggs, which are attached to stones or debris in underground freshwater crevices. The Long-tailed Salamander is mainly a terrestrial species and is generally found under rotting logs and rocks near streams. Their diet consists of terrestrial insects, worms, invertebrates, and arthropods. |
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Marbled Salamander, Ambystoma opacum
The Marbled Salamander grows to 10 cm in length. The dorsal
coloration is a black background with gray (female) or white (male) markings
and its belly is black. Young salamanders
have dark-colored specks on the dark background. They are a nocturnal species. Breeding occurs
during the fall and females construct nests on the edges of vernal pools where they lay egg clutches of roughly
60-200 eggs. Females guard the eggs until they hatch. The young
remain on land under logs and rocks. The Marbled Salamander
usually stays underground except in fall when they emerge for breeding. They
are found in sandy and gravel areas near streams or ponds. |
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Northern Spring Salamander, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus
The average length of the Northern Spring Salamander is 120-175 mm. They vary in color from reddish to salmon to brown, and have a light and dark line from the nostril to the eye. The tail is keeled. During late spring/summer females lay up to 100 single eggs, in cool water, attached to the underside of stones. Eggs hatch with in 3 months. These salamanders can be found in springs and under logs and leaves in nearby forests. The Northern Spring Salamander will eat other salamanders. |
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Red Salamander, Pseudotriton ruber
The Red Salamander generally grows to 7.5-12.7cm. They are typically reddish in color with short legs and a short tail. The back has irregularly-shaped black spots, as does the underside of the lower jaw. The iris of the eye is yellow. Mating occurs during early fall. Females lay 50-100 eggs and stay with the clutch until the eggs hatch in December. Males tend to mature at 4 years; females mature at 5 years. This species may be found near cool clear-water streams and are often seen under moss, rocks, or logs. The diet of the Red Salamander consists of earthworms, insects, arthropods, and other invertebrates. |
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Red Spotted Newt, Notophthalmus viridescens
The Red Spotted Newt grows to be 6.5-14.0 cm. The aquatic adults have an olive brown back and a yellow belly. Both the belly and back have black speckles on them and might also have two rows of red spots with black boarders. This species has been found as deep as 40 feet underwater. The terrestrial red eft stage has a brightly colored orange red back, and may grow to just over 7.5 cm.
During breeding season (late winter to early spring) males under go morphological changes in preparation for mating. They develop horny black structures on their toe tips and inner thighs, and a broad fin on the tail. Their hind legs also swell (see photo).
Females lay up to 400 single eggs and attach them to submerged vegetation. It takes up to 5-8 weeks for the eggs to hatch. When the larvae hatch, each is less than 1.0 cm in length and is green in color. Red spotted newts are generally found in ponds and lakes with a lot of vegetation, swamps, stream backwaterss, and wetlands. The adults primarily eat insects, worms, crustaceans, amphibian eggs and larvae, and mollusks. The efts are generally found in moist forested environments. This species is active all year. |
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Spotted Salamander, Ambystoma maculatum
The Spotted Salamander grows to be 10-20 cm in length. Its back
(or dorsal side) is generally black with two irregular rows of yellow
spots going down each side of the body from the eye to the tip
of the tail. The first pair of spots, closest to the eyes, are
generally orange. The underside (or ventral side) of the salamander
is gray. The spotted salamander is unable to breathe through
its skin. The first warm day in spring triggers mating. The
females lay up to 200 eggs in forested ponds, which take 30-55
days to hatch. During the summer and winter the adults live
underground. In the spring they venture out at night to forested
ponds to reproduce. They are generally found in forests with
ponds, vernal pools, and slow moving streams. The spotted salamander
does not eat during breeding season but during the rest of the year
they feast on spiders, earthworms, snails, and other insects. |
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Northern Two-lined Salamander, Eurycea bislineata
The Northern Two-lined Salamander grows to be up to 9 cm. The back of the salamander is a yellowish to greenish brown color with two dark lines running from each eye to the rounded tail where the line becomes more of a dashed rather than a solid line. The tail is compressed and keeled. Breeding occurs through the winter months. Females lay 12-100 eggs in streams under logs and rocks, and will guard them until they hatch. The northern two-lined salamander is mainly found along stream edges under logs and rocks, and swimming in streams. |
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