The other day, Mark mentioned four-toed salamanders. He had been thinking about it being about time for them to be found with eggs in their breeding habitats. Not having seen one before, I set out to take a look. Four-toed salamanders, like other salamanders, are secretive and often nocturnal. It is usually easiest to seek out species during their breeding times when they are more likely to be active or in a specific place.
I went to a place on the preserve where there is a known population and with directions from Mark on where exactly to look, I found some! Picture taking ensued and I really enjoyed my first encounter with this small but captivating creature.
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| Four-toed salamanders, Hemidactylium scutatum, are easy to identify. They have 4 toes on the hind feet, white belly with black spots and a conspicuous constriction at the base of their tale. |
Four-toed salamanders are among the easiest amphibians in Ohio to identify. They are the only salamander who has 4 toes on the hind feet, a constriction at the base of the tail, and a bright white belly with black spots. Very striking! The overall coloration can be quite variable, but I thought the individuals I saw were more like a combination of reddish browns and sort of a purplish/bluish brown. Like most things, the closer you look the more interesting things become.
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| This four-toed salamander is sporting a wide range of colors. Beautiful! |
Four-toed salamanders belong to the family, Plethodontidae. This is the family of lungless salamanders. True to the name these animals do not have lungs but rely on their moist skin and the inside of the mouth to absorb oxygen from the air. There are 14 species of salamanders in Ohio belonging to this family.
Generally speaking, amphibians start their life in water in some sort of larva state, metamorphose, then as adults either become terrestrial or stay in or near a body of water. Four-toes lay their eggs near a body of water often underneath a hummock of vegetation or clump of moss. Sometimes the female will remain with the eggs until they hatch. When they do, the larva wriggle their way down to the water and spend a few weeks eating and growing until they are ready to metamorphose into their adult form. It will take about three years for a four-toed salamander to become sexually mature and start the process all over again.
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| A female four-toed salamander with a clutch of eggs. Not all females stay with their eggs, and sometime there can be communal nests with one female guarding all the eggs. |
Distribution in Ohio of these enchanting salamanders is fairly sporadic. Populations were probably more widespread before the majority of Ohio's wetlands were drained. Some of the best habitats left for four-toed salamanders are located in Northeast Ohio.
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| Salamanders really captivate a lot of folks. Could it be their cute, bulgy eyes? |
When searching for one kind of salamander, you are bound to find others. It turned out to be a 4 species day!
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| A southern two-lined salamander, Eurycea cirrigera, finds refuge in and around a rotting log adjacent to a small pond. |
This southern two-lined salamander, Eurycea cirrigera, was found along with a northern dusky salamander, Desmognathus fuscus. The outflow of the pond where the four-toes were provided a great place to look for additional slimy friends. Two-lineds are named for the two dark lines running from eye to tail along the back. They are generally have a yellowy background color.
His neighbor, the dusky salamander was found around the same log. Duskys are pretty variable in their coloration, but do have a tell-tale light colored line extending from the eye down towards the jaw.
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| This northern dusky salamander, Desmognathus fuscus, displays its identifying facial feature: a light colored line extending down from the eye. |
Dusky salamanders are pretty good at getting away, especially when you're trying to catch one to show an interested child! This one tried and thought it had accomplished its task.
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| This dusky salamander thinks its hiding. |
The final salamander of the day was further away from the pond under rocks on the hillside. Ravine salamanders, Plethodon electomorphus, are small slender creatures associated with rocks and hillsides.
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| Found almost exclusively on slopes and under rocks is just where I found this handsome individual. |
Aside from cute, bulgy eyes, salamanders seem to wear perpetual smiles. They do seem to have life by the tail, as it were. Oh, to be a salamander!
Posted by: Robyn Wright-Strauss
