Marbled Salamander Adaptations

Eggs are laid in the fall under coarse woody debris while the pools are dry.

Marbled salamander adaptations.

Marbled salamanders grow to about 3 5 4 25 in 9 10 7 cm in size and are stout bodied and chubby in appearance. Female guards the eggs until pool is flooded. They live for about 8 years to 10 years on average. Background marbled salamanders are distributed across the eastern us from new hampshire to northern florida and west to lake michigan in the north and texas in the south 1 the species generally inhabits deciduous forest and prairie and is absent from much of the appalachian mountains 1 2 in massachusetts it is present at relatively low abundances partially due to being at the extreme.

The most interesting adaptation of the salamander is a structural one. Almost all carnivorous and omnivorous species of animal kingdom are predators of marbled salamanders. Having an overall dark gray or black body the marbled salamander gets its name from the 4 7 white. The marbled salamander is a stocky boldly banded salamander.

The bands of females tend to be gray while those of males are more white. Breeding site fidelity and dispersal there is some evidence of breeding site fidelity among adults williams 1973 scott 1994. This species is sexually dimorphic males tend to have white crossbands and females tend to have gray silvery crossbands. Disjunct populations are found in eastern missouri central illinois in northwest ohio.

Deciduous and mixed forests adjacent to vernal pools. Marbled salamanders have a long life comparatively. As with many ambystomatids the marbled salamander is a relatively stocky species. It can be found in a variety of habitats from moist sandy areas to dry hillsides.

Marbled salamander distribution in massachusetts based on the natural heritage database records from 1980 2006. They can be identified by their black dark brown body including its venter with light white silvery crossbands on the dorsum. Even other relatively bigger amphibians also prey on marbled salamanders. The marbled salamander is one of the smaller ambystomatid mole salamander species found in north carolina with adults only reaching lengths between 3 4 inches.

Adults can grow to about 11 cm 4 in small compared to other members of its genus. Ambystoma opacum the marbled salamander is found throughout most of the eastern united states from massachusetts west to central illinois southeastern missouri and oklahoma and eastern texas south to the gulf of mexico and the carolina coast it is absent from peninsular florida. It spends most of its time in a burrow in leaf litter or under bark and logs. Habitat photo for marbled salamander courtesy of rebecca chalmers.

When something snags its tail the salamander will drop its tail and run away.