Spotted Salamander
Ambystoma maculatum
Quick answer
The spotted salamander is a stout, secretive mole salamander of eastern North America, instantly recognized by two rows of bright yellow spots on its dark body. It spends most of its life hidden underground and migrates to woodland pools on rainy spring nights to breed. Spotted salamanders are long-lived and can survive 20 years or more.
Spotted Salamander facts at a glance
| Scientific name | Ambystoma maculatum |
|---|---|
| Diet | Carnivore (worms, insects, small invertebrates) |
| Habitat | Moist deciduous forest with vernal pools |
| Lifespan | 20+ years |
| Length | 15–25 cm (6–10 in) body length |
| Weight | Around 13 g (0.5 oz) |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Amphibia |
| Order | Urodela |
| Family | Ambystomatidae |
| Genus | Ambystoma |
Where it lives
Moist deciduous forests with vernal pools across the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.
Behavior and life underground
Spotted salamanders are mole salamanders that spend most of the year hidden in burrows and under logs in the forest, rarely seen above ground. They emerge in large numbers on the first warm, rainy nights of spring to migrate to breeding pools. Their bright yellow spots are thought to warn predators of distasteful skin secretions.
Diet and feeding
These salamanders are carnivores that eat earthworms, insects, spiders, slugs, snails, and other small invertebrates. They hunt slowly on the forest floor, seizing prey with a quick snap of the jaws. Larvae in the breeding pools are aquatic predators that eat tiny invertebrates.
Habitat and range
The spotted salamander ranges across the eastern United States and southeastern Canada in moist deciduous and mixed forests. It depends on fishless seasonal pools, known as vernal pools, for breeding, returning to the same pools year after year. A remarkable feature is that algae grow inside its developing eggs, supplying the embryos with oxygen.
Conservation
The species is listed as Least Concern and remains widespread, but it relies on both intact forest and the temporary pools where it breeds. Threats include the draining of vernal pools, forest clearing, road mortality during migrations, and pollution. Protecting clusters of breeding pools and the surrounding woodland is key to its survival.
Frequently asked questions about the Spotted Salamander
Why do spotted salamanders have yellow spots?
The two rows of bright yellow spots are thought to be a warning to predators that the salamander's skin produces a distasteful, mildly toxic secretion.
What do spotted salamanders eat?
They are carnivores that eat earthworms, insects, spiders, slugs, and snails, hunting slowly across the moist forest floor at night.
Where do spotted salamanders live?
They live in moist deciduous forests across the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, spending most of the year underground and breeding in seasonal woodland pools.
How long do spotted salamanders live?
Spotted salamanders are long-lived and can survive 20 years or more in the wild, with some individuals living even longer.
Why do spotted salamander eggs turn green?
Algae grow inside the jelly of the developing eggs and even within the embryos, supplying them with oxygen through photosynthesis in a rare partnership between a plant and a vertebrate.
When do spotted salamanders breed?
They breed in early spring, migrating in large numbers to fishless vernal pools on the first warm, rainy nights, then returning to the forest to live underground.
