Four-Toed Salamander *

1. Four-Toed Salamander * • The Four-toed Salamander is a relatively small salamander with adults typically only reaching lengths of 2 to 3.5 inches (5 to 10cm). As its name implies, the Four-toed Salamander can be readily identified from the presence of only four toes on each hind foot. • Habitat-This species favored habitats are sphagnum bogs, grassy areas surrounding beaver ponds and deciduous or mixed forests rich with mosses.

2. Eastern Hell Bender • The hellbender is more commonly gray, but some specimens could be an olive-brown to almost black above. • The body and head are flattened. Several loose flaps of thick, wrinkled skin hang along the lower sides. The legs are short and stout with four toes on the hind legs. The tail is flat and rudder like. • Habitat- Cool clear streams near vegetation.

3. Jefferson Salamander * • This salamander is long and slender with a wide snout. Its toes are proportionately longer than those of most other salamanders. The back and sides are brownish gray; the belly is a shade lighter. The area surrounding the vent is usually gray. • Habitat- They are burrowers, spending most of their lives underground. Usually Only see it during the spring time when they are spawning. • The earliest breeding amphibian in the eastern US (February)

4. Long-Tailed Salamander * • A long (up to 16 cm TL), slender lemon-yellow to yellowish orange salamander with scattered black blotches along back and sides. Belly yellow to cream and usually unspotted. • Habitat- Near cool streams and spring seeps in forests of dissected, rocky uplands and valley edges. Dark-sided subspecies partial to twilight zones of caves, sometimes deep within caves and along surface streams nearby.

5. Marbled Salamander * • The body is dark gray to black, with bold white or silvery cross bands. On the female these bands tend to be a bit more gray. Occasionally the cross bands run together on the sides, encasing a black area within a striking outline of white. The belly is black and unmarked. • Habitat- Adult marbled salamanders live in damp woodlands, often close to ponds or streams. Unlike most other mole salamanders, this species does not breed in water. Adult marbled salamanders breed only in dried up pools, ponds, and ditches, and females lay their eggs under the leaves there. The eggs hatch after the ponds refill.

6. Mudpuppy • Gray to brownish to almost black, stomach speckled gray with a few large dark spots, larvae and juvenile have broad dark strips down back that are border by yellow stripes. • Habitat- streams and weedy ponds, the mudpuppy needs water that has coverings (rocks, weeds or logs) and are more abundant in clear waters, but can withstand muddy water if clear water is available for reproduction, shelters by day in deep water under rocks and wood overhangs.

7. Northern Dusky Salamander * • The northern dusky salamander is gray to tan or dark brown on the back becoming a bit lighter on each side. Although usually plain, a close inspection may sometimes show mottling not much darker than the background color. Larvae and juveniles have pairs of oval blotches on each side that often fuse together to form streaks running the length of the body. The underside is pinkish with blue-gray speckles. • Habitat-It is abundant in stream, springs, seepages in bottomland forests and wooded ravines. It is rare in the ridge and valley region above 1200 feet elevation. This salamander inhabits a variety of habitats, both aquatic and semi-aquatic.

8. Northern Spring Salamander * • The Northern Spring Salamander is a long salamander with a moderately robust build. It is variable in color, ranging from pinkish or salmon to yellowish-brown. They also tend to be mottled, with a darker pigment on the back. The lower sides of the body and the belly are pinkish or yellowish, and there are often dark spots on the belly, throat, and lower jaw of older adults. • Habitat- Spring Salamanders are semi-aquatic, spending a majority of their time in springs, wet caves, and cool, clear mountain brooks Spring Salamanders can also be found under stones and logs near stream edges Because they are lung less, and must obtain oxygen through their skin, Spring Salamanders are limited to areas where there is adequate oxygen and moisture.

9. Northern Two-lined Salamander * • Northern two-lined salamanders are 2.5-3.75 inches long. This salamander has two dark lines, each running from the eye down to the tail (one on each side). The belly is yellow. • Habitat- Found near brooks and streams. Always close to water.

10. Northern Red Salamander * • The Northern Red Salamander is a stout-bodied, bright reddish-orange salamander with small irregular black spots and a yellow iris. The lower sides and belly are light salmon or red, and the lower jaw may have dark spotting. • Habitat-They can be found under logs, moss, and rocks near clean springs and brooks.

11. Red Back Salamander * • The Red back Salamander has an elongated body, small limbs and a rounded tail. They generally exist in two color phases referred to as the “red back,” or “lead back.” The “red back” phase has a red, orange-red, or brownish-red stripe on its back that runs from the head to mid-tail. Also, its sides are generally dark gray. • Habitat-These salamanders are primarily found in upland coniferous and mixed forests. Soil ph. is important. They are found in and under rotting logs, stones, bark, and other debris.

12. Red Spotted Newt * • Efts are brilliantly colored, generally orange-red, to dull red or orange. The adults are duller than the efts, and are usually olive-green, brown, or dark greenish-brown, with yellow bellies. • Habitat-Immature larvae and the adult newts live in small bodies of freshwater (ponds, small lakes, ditches, and marshes) usually with mud bottoms. Adults can survive on land if their aquatic habitat becomes unsuitable; adults may move onto land during dry periods when the water is low or to rid themselves of ectoparasites. The juvenile "eft" stage lives in lakeshore and woodland habitats and is often seen in forest litter on rainy nights

13. Spotted Salamander * • Two rows of large yellow or orange spots run erratically the length of the body. Beginning on the head and near the eyes, the spots end at the tip of the tail. The spots on the head usually are orange even though the spots on the rest of the body could be yellow. The ground color ranges from black, to blue-black, to dark gray or dark brown. The belly is slate-gray. • Habitat-Spotted salamanders require woodlands with ponds for breeding. Fish free ponds are best, but Figiel and Semlitsch (1990) found that larvae may change habitat usage to survive in ponds containing fish.

14. Slimy Salamander * • The slimy salamander has mainly black skin, covered by abundant silver-white or brassy specks, or both; the belly has variable shades but is generally lighter than the back. • Habitat-The slimy salamander is commonly found beneath stones and decaying logs in wooded areas and alongside streams, as well as in the crevices of shale banks and along the sides of gullies and ravines