Herp Note 1: Salamanders and anole in Tuskegee National Forest.

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This weekend I had a chance to go search for some lizards and salamander in Tuskegee National Forest. Given that Alabama is one of the biological hotspots for reptiles and amphibians in the US, I was hoping to see some animals I’ve never seen before. It was a clear cold morning (0-10°C).

I was with 6 people who set out to do the same thing. After 10 minutes of search a recently flood area of the forest, one of us found a Carolina green anole (A. carolinensis) under a rock. About 20 minutes after we found the first salamander of the day hiding underneath the log, the marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum).

Soon after we found the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and the slimy salamander (no picture).

In the two hours of searching we found and some egg mass of the spotted salamander, you can see the spots on the developing egg.

One the highlight of the day was to see a marbled salamander coiled up next to a spotted salamander under a log!

One new thing I learned today is male spotted salamander will have orange spots on their heads.

Wouldn’t have been possible without my Warner Lab mates!

HDTH,

putter