On our daily walk around the lake we came across some elementary school aged kids with one of them holding something in his hand. It turned out to be a 'Spotted Salamander'. They had found it by turning over a rock. Always having my camera with me allowed me to take a picture. The animal was scared and peeing, so they decided to put it back where they found it.
Here is the info I found at Wikipedia about the Salamander:
- Latin name: Ambystoma maculatum
- "The spotted salamander is about 6-7 1/2 inches long. The spotted salamander's main color is black, but can sometimes be blue-black, dark gray, or even dark brown. There are two rows of yellow/orange spots that run from the top of the head (near the eyes) to the tip of the tail. These rows are uneven. An interesting fact is that the spotted salamander's spots near the top of the head are more orange and the rest of the spots are more yellow. The underside of the spotted salamander is slate gray."
- "The spotted salamander usually makes its home around hardwood forest areas. They must have a pond because that is the only place they can make eggs. Spotted salamanders spends most of its time beneath the ground level. It hides in moist areas under moss-covered rocks or stones."
- "Spotted salamanders are common throughout the eastern region, but are rarely seen because they are usually hiding beneath ground level. They may also lay their eggs in a slow stream. They make a migration one to two nights going to lay the eggs and then going back."
- "The spotted salamander eats insects to help pest control, and helps to be food for snakes, toads, frogs, goldfish, and red slider turtles. Sometimes the amount of salamanders, or any amphibian will also help show the amount of pollution in the area. This is because most amphibians live partly, or totally in water and many breath through their skin."
- "Adults can live up to 30 years and remember where their breeding pool was. The longest spotted salamander seen was 9 3/4 inches long. If a predator of the spotted salamander manages to dismember a part of a leg, tail, or even parts of the brain/head, then it can grow back a new one, although this takes a massive amount of energy. The spotted salamander, like other salamanders show great regenerative abilities, which is another reason they are studied. The Spotted Salamander is the State Amphibian of South Carolina."
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