Marbled Salamander Defenses

Defense mechanisms like all salamanders the marbled salamander has the ability to remove its tail with an ability called autotomy.

Marbled salamander defenses.

They can be identified by their black dark brown body including its venter with light white silvery crossbands on the dorsum. A small stout bodied salamander this species is easily identified by its distinct black and white patterning across its entire body. Marbled salamanders and the department of defense the marbled salamander ambystoma opacum is one of the more commonly found mole salamanders on military installations. Like most of the mole salamanders it is secretive spending most of its life under logs or in burrows.

The bands of females tend to be gray while those of males are more white. This secretive salamander spends most of its time under rocks logs or forest debris preferring forested areas. Marbled salamanders are keystone predators in new england ponds but adaptation by the smaller spotted salamander can dramatically change the composition of the ponds. The latin word opacum means shaded dark obscure or dim and refers to the adult dorsal color pattern.

Adults can grow to about 11 cm 4 in small compared to other members of its genus. Habitat and tank requirements. Marbled salamander in boone county. The body is black with light bands of varying widths running across the back.

The salamanders from ponds with the predatory marbled salamander adapted to the predator by becoming gluttonous eat and get big so you don t get eaten yourself. It may also occur in open sandy woods and on rocky dry hillsides. They can live between11 14 years if properly cared for. This and many other amphibians require small fishless woodland.

This species is sexually dimorphic males tend to have white crossbands and females tend to have gray silvery crossbands. The marbled salamander is a stocky boldly banded salamander. Marbled salamanders are black with white splotches and bands giving them a marbled appearance. Apparently both conifer and deciduous forests are used equally wilson 1995.

Marbled salamanders grow to about 3 5 4 25 in 9 10 7 cm in size and are stout bodied and chubby in appearance. They typically grow to about 4 inches long. It is known to breed in cypress tupelo swamps and ponds in the coastal plain wilson 1995. This salamander can be found in moist to mesic forests of lowland areas and to a lesser extent uplands.

The marbled salamander is one of many amphibians found in the bottomland hardwood forests of mississippi.