OHIO SALAMANDERS Basic Salamander Info. Guide to identification

SALAMANDER BASICS  Lay eggs – juveniles hatch with gills for underwater breath  All breathe through the skin  Divided into 3 groups based on lifestyle, habitat, body type and tail type  Round tail – terrestrial  Wedge shaped tail – partly aquatic  Keeled tail – completely aquatic

3 BASIC GROUPINGS  Mole salamanders spend most of life in burrows  Lungless salamanders spend most of life on land in damp areas  Aquatic salamanders live most of live in water

GREEN SALAMANDER

GREEN SALAMANDER (LUNGLESS)  3-5”  Green splotchy on top, pale underneath  Round tail  Prefers limestone caves and cliffs in southern Ohio

HELLBENDER

EASTERN HELLBENDER (AQUATIC) Very large (12-24”) All brown Wrinkled skin in sides for breathing better Keeled tail Aquatic – rocky bottom streams and rivers Endangered in Ohio

MARBLED SALAMANDER

MARBLED SALAMANDER (MOLE)  3-5”  Black with white banding/marbling  Round tail  Burrows in ground or under logs  Uses wooded vernal pools to breed

MUDPUPPY

MUDPUPPY (AQUATIC) Large (8-13”) Gray or brown with dark spots Large, reddish external gills present for entire life Completely aquatic Keeled tail Lives in muddy bottom lakes, ponds, rivers, streams

RED-BACKED SALAMANDER

RED-BACKED & “LEAD-BACK”

RED-BACKED SALAMANDER (LUNGLESS)  2-4”  3 color phases  Regular “red-back” is dark gray with orange strip down back  “lead-back” is all dark gray – no orange  Rare all red phase  Round tail  Lives under logs in moist woodlands – very common

RED-SPOTTED NEWT (JUVENILE)

RED-SPOTTED NEWT (ADULT)

RED-SPOTTED NEWT (AQUATIC)  3-4”  Hatches as “Red Eft” juvenile – lives on land  Bright orange with red spots on back  Rounded tail  Develops into semi-aquatic adult  Olive green with faded red spots on back  Keeled tail  Prefers wooded streams, rivers, pools

SLIMY SALAMANDER

NORTHERN SLIMY SALAMANDER (LUNGLESS)  5-7”  Found under logs/stumps in hilly wooded areas  Black with fine white dots  Round tail  Secretes slime layer as a defense

SPOTTED SALAMANDER

SPOTTED SALAMANDER (MOLE)  6-8”  Found in moist wooded areas near water  Spend most of the year burrowed underground  Dark in color with round yellow spots  round tail

TIGER SALAMANDER

TIGER SALAMANDER (MOLE)  7-8”  Dark brown with tan or yellow blotches or stripes  Wedge-shaped tail  Burrows for most the year in sandy soils  Uses large bodies of water for breeding

TWO-LINED SALAMANDER

TWO-LINED SALAMANDER (LUNGLESS)  2-4” long  Bright yellow, dull orange, golden brown color  2 dark lines running down the back  Found in small rocky streams of wooded areas  Wedge-shaped tail

DUSKY SALAMANDER

DUSKY SALAMANDER (LUNGLESS)  2-5”  Variable body color – some dull shade of brown  Pale diagonal line runs from eye to corner of mouth  Hind feet much larger than front feet  Habitat: hide under rocks and debris in small woodland streams and wet areas  Very common  Round tail