That's the kind we saw a mass migration of in Stafford when we were kids. There were thousands of them crossing the road from one swamp to another as we were driving home one night. Dad got our and stopped traffic to prevent their mass slaughter, and because it was cool to see.
Regardless, it's about the cutest little thing I've seen in forever. We get a lot of both amphibians here, but nowhere near that interestingly colored.
It's a spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum, one of the "mole" salamanders, the family that includes the tiger salamanders and axlotls.
They are called mole salamanders because they stay underground (and under leaf litter, and water dishes) most of their lives, excepting for large nocturnal courtship congregations, like the one my brother describes above, where great numbers will emerge from their underground homes to find water to breed in.
Oddly enough, right after I saw this, a friend showed me an article in the paper talking about how 60 rare Cave Salamanders have been seen in eastern Ohio on this old stone resevoir.....really interesting! Spotted red and black salamanders.
I love animals of all types, but reptiles and amphibians are my favourites, I think.
The Cave Salamander story is here with photo: A home for rare salamanders (http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051007/NEWS01/510070392/1056)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-10-07 10:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 01:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 08:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 03:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 04:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 08:06 pm (UTC)Regardless, it's about the cutest little thing I've seen in forever. We get a lot of both amphibians here, but nowhere near that interestingly colored.
They're mostly brown.
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Date: 2005-10-07 08:34 pm (UTC)They are called mole salamanders because they stay underground (and under leaf litter, and water dishes) most of their lives, excepting for large nocturnal courtship congregations, like the one my brother describes above, where great numbers will emerge from their underground homes to find water to breed in.
Some communities have constructed salamander tunnels under roads (including one near my home town, constructed by Mass Audubon), to prevent mass squishings.
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Date: 2005-10-07 11:54 pm (UTC)I love animals of all types, but reptiles and amphibians are my favourites, I think.
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Date: 2005-10-08 02:48 am (UTC)A home for rare salamanders (http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051007/NEWS01/510070392/1056)
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Date: 2005-10-13 02:46 pm (UTC)