1. Spotted Salamander Ambystoma maculatum By: Paula Mandracchia http://www.washingtonnh.org/WCC_Html//artwork/Spotted-salamander.jpg

2. Spotted Salamander Introduction http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://k43.pbase.com  Common throughout Eastern United States and Canada  Primarily black/grey with two rows of yellow- orange spots  6-7.5” in length

3. Spotted Salamander Slideshow Overview * Habitat * Shelter * Food Chain * Behavior * Response to Winter

4. Habitat *Most of their lives are spent underground or under logs, rocks, bark or leaves. *Live primarily in oak and hickory forests: provides shade, a cool temperature and moisture. *Present in most of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties

5. Shelter  Description *Hide and forage for food in underground burrows or under leaf litter, fallen trees, rotting logs and bark. *Skin must remain moist - more likely to be above ground when the soil is wet.  Other Protective Behaviors *Brightly colored, so it lives secretively and hides underground or under objects. *Cold-blooded – regulates temperature according to surroundings.

6. Food Chain  Prey:  (Adult salamander) - Worms, slugs, millipedes, centipedes, spiders & other insects  (Larvae) – Aquatic invertebrates/larval insect stages  Predators:  (Adult salamander) - Skunks, raccoons, turtles, chipmunks, squirrels, opossums, and snakes.  (Eggs and larvae) - Eaten by fish, turtles, aquatic insects, birds, frogs, and crayfish.

7. Life-Cycle Behavior  Spring: Salamanders emerge from under- ground burrows to migrate during heavy rains.  Travel to a temporary pond (vernal pool) that is almost always where they hatched, known as their, “birth pond.”  Males migrate first & females come a few days later.  Males attract females by doing a courtship “dance,” or circular swimming.  Males deposit sperm packets in the water,  Females pick up the packet and eggs are fertilized inside of her.  24-48 hours later, up to 200 eggs laid in jelly- like clumps on vegetation in water.  Eggs hatch as larvae with gills in 30-60 days.

8. Life-Cycle Behavior  Summer:Two to four months after eggs are laid, larvae metamorphose into air-breathing adults that live on land in the forest, burrowing under rocks and logs.  Fall: Forage the forest floor and live underground in burrow.  Winter: Adults remain in underground burrow (6-12 inches underground)

9. Response to Winter: Migration (Less food, fewer hours of sunlight, cold temperatures)  Seasonal Triggers: Internal Clues *Dropping body temperature  Seasonal Triggers: External Clues (Early Spring): Heavy rains and melting snow soak through the soil that was frozen all winter long. 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit. http://www.accuweather.com  (Late Fall): Soil temperatures cool and sub-soil freezes. Food source declines as temperatures drop below 32. Photoperiod

10. Response to Winter: Migration (Less food, fewer hours of sunlight, cold temperatures)  Food Source – Worms and invertebrates are unavailable during winter.  Shelter – Crawl into underground burrows about 12” down to find safety  Physiological Changes – Dormant: As their body temperature drops, so do heart and respiration (breathing) rates, and they become sluggish and unable to move. Fun Facts *Spotted Salamanders may live for 10-20 years. *Each spring, I get to witness spotted salamander migration and egg-laying along the Perkiomen Trail.

11. Works Cited (Bibliography)  Hofmann, Kate. “A Salamander Celebration.” Ranger Rick Mar.2008: 12-17. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 2 Mar. 2010.  Serrao, John. Nature's events: A Notebook of The Unfolding Seasons. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1992.  "Spotted Salamander." Pennsylvania Game Commission - State Wildlife Management Agency. 25 February 2009.  "Spotted Salamander." Study of Northern Virginia Ecology. 25 February 2009.