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Salamanders and Newts
Salamanders
 Salamanders are in the Order Caudata. Salamanders date back 150 million years ago to 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 found from 0-4,000 m (13,000 feet). 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 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 thru the skin and in addition the lungless salamander can also take up oxygen thru the membrane of the mouth. Whether aquatic or terrestrial, salamanders need moisture for survival and are found in only 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 thru 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 which helps to keep them moist (important for survival) and the glands also expel toxic secretions when the animal fears danger. They have the ability to drop their tail when necessary, and the tail regenerates.
Salamanders do not hibernate. Salamanders shed their skin from 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 such as under rocks or logs. Their carnivorous diet consists mainly of worms, insects, and other salamanders.
Newts
 Newts are in the Order Caudata, Family Salamandridae. We have one species in Montgomery County. 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 given time, the eft will return to the water and change into an aquatic adult. Sometimes, the Red eft stage is completely passed over and the newt remains aquatic its entire life cycle. When this occurs there is a chance the newt will retain remnants of its gills even as an adult. The efts have a brightly colored skin, a round tail, and the skin is very rough. The adult newts have a more olive-brown skin, a vertically compressed tail, and their skin is smoother.
The 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.
Salamander/Newt Image Gallery
(Click on thumbnail image for larger version)
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 grey to brown. On their back, they have pairs of light ovals with a dark outline sometimes connected with a line running along side 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, in 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.
Eastern Mud Salamander, Pseudotriton montanus
 The Eastern Mud Salamander grows to the lengths of 7.5-17.5cm. They have a red body with round black markings and brown eyes. Young salamanders are brightly colored, and as the salamander ages, the brightness and the color start to fade resulting in the older salamanders to have a brownish body. Mating occurs in the late fall, and in December the females lay a clutch of about 60-190 eggs in water filled channels or ponds. The eggs hatch in February. This salamander lays eggs every other year. This salamander may be found in muddy areas near spring and in swampy environments. Another species the Eastern Mud Salamander may get mixed up with is the Red Salamander. The Eastern Mud Salamander generally has a shorter blunter snout than that of the Red Salamander.
Long-tailed Salamander, Eurycea longicauda
 The Long-tailed Salamander grows to the length of 16 cm. The tail length is up to 2/3rds the size of the body. This species is the only one on the East Coast that has vertical markings on the tail. The dorsal is generally red to yellow-orange with dark markings. The immature salamander is yellow with a much shorter tail. Breeding occurs October to March, in which time the female lays around 90 eggs attached to stones or debris in underground freshwater crevices. The Long-tailed Salamander is mainly a terrestrial species generally found under rotting logs and rocks near streams. Their diet consists of terrestrial insects, worms, invertebrates, and arthropods.
Marbled Salamander, Ambystoma opacum
 The Marbled Salamander grows to 10 cm in length. The dorsal coloration is a black background with grayish white markings, and its belly is black. Males have white markings and females have grey markings. They are a nocturnal species. Young salamanders have dark colored specks on the dark background. Breeding occurs during the fall, females lay their eggs in a vernal pool where they construct nests on the edges. Egg clutches consist 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 for breeding. They are found in sandy and gravel areas near streams or ponds.
Northern Spring Salamander, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus
003_small.jpg) 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. Reproduction: 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. Habitat: found in springs and under logs and leaves in nearby forests. Diet: they will eat other salamanders.
Red Salamander, Pseudotriton ruber
 The Red Salamander generally grows to 7.5-12.7cm. It is a reddish color, and has short legs and a short tail. Its back has irregularly shaped black spots, as does the underside of the lower jaw. The iris of the eye is yellow. During early fall mating occurs and females lay 50-100 eggs, come December the eggs hatch. Females stay with the clutch until hatching occurs. Males tend to mature at 4 years, and females mature at 5 years. This species may be found near cool clear water streams, usually seen under moss, rocks, or logs. The Red Salamander diet consists of earthworms, insects, arthropods, and other invertebrates.
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. It has two rows of red spots with black boarders. This species has been found as deep as 40 feet. 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, the 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.
They also get swollen hind legs. (see photo) |
Male Newt in Breeding Phase
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Females lay up to 400 single eggs and attach them to submerged vegetation. It may take up to 5-8 weeks for the eggs to hatch. When the larvae hatch it 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, backwater of streams, 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.
Spotted Salamander, Ambystoma maculatum
 The Spotted Salamander grows to be 10-20 cm in length. Its back (or dorsal) 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) of the salamander is grey. 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 about 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 the rest of the year they feast on spiders, earthworms, snails, and other insects.
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 dash than a solid line. The tail is compressed and keeled. Breeding occurs thru to the winter months. Females lay 12-100 eggs in streams under logs and rocks, and she will guard them until they hatch. The northern two lined salamander is mainly found stream side under logs and rocks, and swimming through streams.
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Seniors
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