Northern Red Salamander
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| This was a very special find, as we do not see them very often! |
Looks Like: Northern Red Salamanders can be 4-7” in length. Their stout body is red to reddish-orange with dotted to irregular, rounded black spots all over its back and limbs. They have five toes on their hindlimbs and four toes on forelimbs. They have 16-17 costal grooves (grooves along its underside).
Lives In: Terrestrial and aquatic environments. They prefer to under fallen bark, logs, and rocks in woodlands and under leaf litter in cool streams.
Niche: Northern Red Salamanders are prey to woodland birds, skunks, and raccoons. These salamanders are carnivorous and will feed upon insects, worms, other invertebrates, and sometimes smaller salamanders.
Threats: These salamanders depend on intact deciduous forests to survive. Their survival can be compromised with encroaching development that devastates and removes forest habitats.
Frequency: Northern Red Salamanders are uncommon in the Shawangunks. It is a very special treat to come across one on a hike. Northern Red Salamanders can live more than 20 years.
Reproduction: Males will rub their snout on the female’s head and chin. Once the female is enticed, she will collect the male’s spermatophores with her cloaca. Her egg location is cryptic – she’ll lay her eggs in springs, brooks, and under streambanks. The egg masses are gelatinous in a single stalk. The 30-130 eggs she lays will hatch in early winter and remain in larval stage for 1-3 years before becoming an adult.
Fun Fact: Northern Red Salamanders have a projectile tongue that can extend and return in 11 milliseconds. They can also release a toxin from their poison glands to repel away certain predators.
