Tips for Today
Do you know how many kinds of salamanders there are in the state of Connecticut?
There are 12! These clawless amphibians love cool, moist areas and are found underneath logs, rocks, leaf litter, or in burrows. In early spring, vernal pools and wetlands provide the opportune space for most salamanders to lay their shell-less eggs. Once hatched, these cold-blooded creatures begin their adult life on land.
Salamanders are carnivores and use their keen sense of smell and average eyesight to find and feast on worms, small animals, and insects. Salamanders’ vivid colors cue their predators that they can be poisonous. Salamanders provide food for vertebrates, like birds, snakes, and little mammals, and are an important indicator species of a healthy forest’s food system(s).
The most common salamander found in Connecticut is the Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). To support these amazing creatures, learn about them, advocate for them, reduce the use of herbicides and pesticides, drive carefully during warm, rainy, spring nights when salamanders migrate across roadways, and protect vernal pools/wetland habitats in your community. The State of Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s website has some great info on the salamanders of Connecticut, which you can visit here.