Marbled Salamander
Ambystoma opacum
Image by Jim Horton
Description
A stocky black mole salamander crossed by bold silvery-white (males) or gray (females) bands. Unusual among its kin, it nests on land in autumn and guards its eggs.
Stats
Size
3 ½ – 4 inches
Status
Common
Similar Species
None
Diet
Earthworms, slugs, snails, and other invertebrates
Habitat
Hardwood forested uplands and floodplains with temporary or permanent wetlands or ponds
Reproduction
Mating occurs in autumn (unlike most of our other salamanders) Heavy fall rains trigger breeding activity. Mating takes place on land near woodland ponds or ditches. Females lay 75-200 round, silvery eggs (not in a jelly like mass). Females dig a depression close to a water source under fallen logs or rocks and stays curled with eggs. Females await heavy rainfall that washes eggs into the water and young soon develop.