Large salamanders such as the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) and the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) live healthily in captivity, but they need a damp substrate to burrow in to prevent their skin from drying out. They are also not too comfortable with extreme climatic conditions, and will keep themselves concealed when conditions are too dry, too cold, or too warm. We found one in our window well, but instead of round spots some of them are more stripes. The Yellow Spotted Salamander has poison glands in their skin, mostly on the back of their necks and tails. Despite being fairly large and having an extremely broad range, the spotted salamander is actually pretty hard to, well, spot. These animals are not much active. Salamander Habitat. All rights reserved. Strangely, they are cannibalistic. All rights reserved. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates there are more than a million spotted salamanders in North America. They do not have claws. Not only the tail, if any of its body parts, including the legs, or even parts of the brain, head or most other organs, is dismembered by a predator, they can grow back a new one. The Yellow Spotted Salamander is not a threatened/endangered species, and their population is considerably static. Does this sound like a “spotted” or something else? When threatened, like many other lizard and salamander species, they are able to drop their tails and escape (‘autotomy’). They would never fail to locate the pond even when they have moved hundreds of meters away from it. Tail: The tail is large enough and has the ability to drop and regenerate. These salamanders exhibit courtship breeding patterns and internal fertilization. The Spotted Salamander eats by shooting out its long tongue that is covered in sticky saliva and catches its prey and snaps its tongue back into its mouth. The embryos have been seen to have symbiotic algae living inside them. The underside (belly and abdomen) is pink and slate gray. When ready to breed, the adults would return back to the same pond where they had hatched in even if there are other ponds close by. Before growing up, they live in their pools, feeding on water fleas, insect larvae, and other small creatures. If they feel threatened, the larvae of the spotted salamander would hide in the mud and debris at the pond bed. They most common enemies of the spotted salamanders are snakes, skunks, raccoons, turtles, chipmunks, squirrels, and opossums. The larvae take two to four months for metamorphosis, transforming into adults. Please check your State laws regarding petting this amphibian. © 2020 (Animal Spot). The only difference is that, the former have feathery gills for respiration, branching out from their heads. These glands secrete a white, sticky toxic liquid when the salamander is threatened. After the adult male and the female find their breeding pool for mating, the females lay its eggs in large clumps. They will actually travel long distances over land after a heavy rain to mate and lay their eggs in vernal pools and ponds. They have large, round yellow or orange spots running in two uneven rows along the sides of their body from head to tail. However, they would predate aggressively, when they are not threatened. Some specimens can also be dark grey, dark green, dark brown, or bluish-black. The young adults, while leaving the pond for the first time, are about 2½ inches in size. Salamanders are sold online as well as renowned pet stores. After transforming from the larva to the adult, they leave the pond on rainy nights to seek for shelter. Without moisture, these reptiles will dry out and die. There is a pair of uneven rows of yellowish-orange spots running from its head (next to the eyes) to the tail tip. Body: They have smooth, glossy skin. In fact, they would follow same path to reach their breeding pond, and would arrive and leave at the same spot. They are common in the eastern regions of the United States of America and in Canada. Diet. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark, A spotted salamander photographed at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/s/spotted-salamander.html. Though these salamanders have a stable population, but they are extremely sensitive to changes in their ecology. They are not known to be good diggers. Does the Spotted Salamander have any special body parts that help it in its habitat? They take shelter in deserted burrows of other animals, crevices, or under logs of wood or large rocks, so that they can keep their skin moist. They would feast upon each other when there is not enough food. However, some have been seen modifying or enlarging their burrows. Legs: All their four feet are large and strong with 4 toes on the front legs and 5 on the hind. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015-