Spotted salamander
(𝑨𝒎𝒃𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒎)
Conservation Status: Species of Special Concern in Maine
Photo Credit: 2ndPeter/Creative Commons
Facts: Spotted salamanders are some of the largest salamanders in Maine growing up to 20 cm, or 8 inches, long. They are distinguished by their dark skin and two rows of irregular shaped, bright yellow to orange spots running the length of their bodies. Their skin contains poison glands, which secrete a white, sticky, toxic chemical when the animal feels threatened. They may use this when being attacked by one of their predators, which include fish, raccoons, snakes and skunks. If not eaten, the adults can live for at least 10 years!
Considered a mole salamander, they spend most of their life underground, depending on existing crevices and tunnels rather than digging their own. While their underground habitat makes them hard to observe, the spotted salamander emerges from the ground to mate in a vernal pool, a small body of water that is only wet in the spring and is dry throughout the rest of the year. Only holding water part of the year, vernal pools lack fish, making them safer for the eggs and larval salamanders.
Around the Refuge: If you are walking on the refuge in spring, keep a look out! They migrate to vernal pools on warm, humid, rainy, or foggy conditions in afternoons or evenings from mid-March to late March or early April. You may be able to spot one. If looking at night, be sure to bring a light and look for either the salamanders themselves or the tennis balls sized egg masses which are attached to underwater vegetation or downed branches.
Sources: Maine Amphibians and Reptiles, Hunter/Calhoun/McCollough, 1999, A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles(Stokes Nature Guides), Tyning, 1990 and https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ambystoma_maculatum/