What kind of salamandra is this?

[nozh2002]

What kind of salamandra is this? Is it poiseness?

I found it in my backyard.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[cockroachfarm]

Speckled Black Salamander? (juvenile) I don't think it's poisonous.

 

[Ken C.]

Here you go.

http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fieldguide/anlu.htm

 

[nozh2002]

Yes, looks like it is Arboreal Salamander. Mine is bigger - about 5"-6".
I made more pictures today, will put them out Monday.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[Yojimbo-girl]

Now put it back in your yard, where it belongs.

 

[tarsier]

Great pics!

Salamanders have an interesting life cycle, similar to frogs. We used to find their egg clusters attached to aquatic vegetation in ponds. They start out living underwater and breathing with gills, then most develop lungs, grow legs, and move to land. I live further north now, and I think that there are much fewer, if any, species around. Now I'm curious, I should check a field guide and find out.

 

[Ashes]

I just thought this thread was cute.

I dig those things up sometimes when I'm planting stuff around my house. I always worry about accidentally killing them when I dig. They're cute.

~ashes

 

[mycroftt]

Great pics!

Salamanders have an interesting life cycle, similar to frogs. We used to find their egg clusters attached to aquatic vegetation in ponds. They start out living underwater and breathing with gills, then most develop lungs, grow legs, and move to land. I live further north now, and I think that there are much fewer, if any, species around. Now I'm curious, I should check a field guide and find out.

There has been a huge collapse in the Plethodon cinereus population in the past 20 years. Used to be you could find one or two under every log in the woods - now you can look all day and not find one. These are the redbacked salamanders and there's a silver backed type as well.

 

[nozh2002]

This is Arboreal Salamander. I run google and found tons of links.
It is wood climber, it has no longs and brease by skin only and it does not need water to brease. Some say thay it may jump, but looking at legs I doubt it.

It has huge jaws!

More pictures:

Thanks, Vassili.

P.S. my webpage with more pics:
http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/Salamandra.html

 

[Ashes]

Spotted salamanders are rarely seen by most naturalists because these animals spend most of the year beneath forest litter or under the ground and rarely emerge in the daytime. In the early spring, however, soon after the snow melts, they migrate to ponds and ditches, particularly on rainy nights, and breed. They are readily recognizable by their black colour and pattern of bright yellow or orange spots.

I think these are what I dig up when I'm planting things. They aren't "wood climbers" at all. Are these things similar to what nozh2002 found? They looked similar. (They're still cute. ) I think maybe they are more black and their spots are larger...? I love when I dig these up; it's like finding a little treasure, lol. Much better than most of the critters I find. I still worry about hurting them though. They seem to me to be pretty gentle and I doubt these ones would be poisinous. It never actually occured to me.

~ashes

 

[tarsier]

There has been a huge collapse in the Plethodon cinereus population in the past 20 years. Used to be you could find one or two under every log in the woods - now you can look all day and not find one. These are the redbacked salamanders and there's a silver backed type as well.

Thanks, that would explain it. I thought maybe it was just geography. But now that you mention it, I remember hearing about a big decline in frog species in recent years. Could be that whatever is affecting frogs is affecting salamanders too. Maybe something toxic in the environment that is getting absorbed through their skin?

 

[tarsier]

Ashes, IIRC you live in the northeast, so the range for the Spotted Salamander would cover your area:

The description says that the background color varies, but they have two rows of yellow spots on the back. Here is another image of one:

 

[nozh2002]

More links:

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/narcam/idguide/aneidelu.htm

http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/herps/anei-lug.html

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[lagarto]

Ashes,
Yes, that looks like the typical yellow spotted salamander found in the Northeast. Growing up in NH we used to find them occassionally but not that often. I believe they are listed as a threatened species. They used to mate at the spring which my father's drinking water was piped out of every year, and we had to look for them in the roads during mating season but otherwise didn't see them. If you are finding a lot of them consider it good luck. They're neat creatures. Tarsier, frogs are often one of the first species affected by toxins and I know that naturalists use mutations in local or regional frog species as an indicator that something is seriously screwed up in the environment. Since salamanders have a similar life cycle I wouldn't be surprised if you're correct.

Lagarto

 

[Ashes]

Ashes,
Yes, that looks like the typical yellow spotted salamander found in the Northeast. Growing up in NH we used to find them occassionally but not that often. I believe they are listed as a threatened species. They used to mate at the spring which my father's drinking water was piped out of every year, and we had to look for them in the roads during mating season but otherwise didn't see them. If you are finding a lot of them consider it good luck. They're neat creatures. Tarsier, frogs are often one of the first species affected by toxins and I know that naturalists use mutations in local or regional frog species as an indicator that something is seriously screwed up in the environment. Since salamanders have a similar life cycle I wouldn't be surprised if you're correct.

Lagarto

So what is the difference between my salamanders and the ones in those first pictures? I do find a lot of them. I'm not much of a gardener, but I think I've found at least one every time I've attempted to plant something, probably six inches or so underground. I also have a lot of garter snakes, frogs and toads (my favorite.) Last summer I came home to find a toad the size of a kitten in my driveway. I had to stop and get out and move him so I could park. But mostly I have a ton of those little tiny toads and those little slippery leopard frogs. (This is another reason why I hate to mow my lawn!)

Kinda off-subject (I just wanted to tell this story)... I once got bitten by a frog. I know they don't have teeth, but they have sharp ridges of cartilege or something, and it left me with messed up skin right after, like I'd taken a razor to my fingers and just cut the outer layer of skin along my fingertips on my first two fingers. It healed fine of course, and it didn't hurt, but it startled the hell outta me when the thing jumped up and bit me! I was feeding it a worm in my mom's goldfish-turned-bullfrog pond and it reached a little too high, going for my fingers in addition to the worm. I was so startled that I snatched my hand away and the poor frog kind of went flying. He landed back in the pond though, so he wasn't hurt. His name was Jacky Don Tucker. I miss little Jacky Don. He was a good frog.

~ashes

 

[lagarto]

Ashes,
The ones I'm thinking of are generally black as opposed to purple/violet like the one Vassilli found and usually get a lot larger. I've seen full grown ones up to six inches long, but that includes the tail. The figures in the link posted above state that the one Vassili asked about only get about 3.5 inches long. Also, I don't think the black and yellow ones can climb, but I'm no salamander expert, just basing this on what I've observed.

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/narcam/idguide/ambymacu.htm

http://www.trca.on.ca/land_protection/terrestrial/yellow_salamander.asp

Here's a couple links. Looks like I was wrong about the threatened status but they are declining. Tarsier, the second link helps explain why they are declining due to pollution (sensitivity to acidity). It sounds similar to frogs to me, looks like you were right on.

Lagarto

 

[AKA Knife Knut]

I just thought this thread was cute.
I dig those things up sometimes when I'm planting stuff around my house. I always worry about accidentally killing them when I dig. They're cute.
~ashes

Hey at leas you are not as bad as my one of my aunts: she worries about killing the earthworms while digging! In fact she plans her gardening around the times of day that she is least likely to cut them up!