Marbled Salamander Defense

Salamander larvae feed on plankton and aquatic insects.

Marbled salamander defense.

Fore limb usually possess 4 toes. Hind limb usually possess 5 toes. Like most of the mole salamanders it is secretive spending most of its life under logs or in burrows. This and many other amphibians require small fishless woodland.

Orifice past the hind legs of a salamander costal grooves. It may also occur in open sandy woods and on rocky dry hillsides. They can be identified by their black dark brown body including its venter with light white silvery crossbands on the dorsum. The marbled salamander is one of many amphibians found in the bottomland hardwood forests of mississippi.

Adults can grow to about 11 cm 4 in small compared to other members of its genus. How to setup a simple but effective terrarium for a marbled salamander or any salamander that requires cool temperatures and moist conditions. Marbled salamanders and the department of defense the marbled salamander ambystoma opacum is one of the more commonly found mole salamanders on military installations. This species is sexually dimorphic males tend to have white crossbands and females tend to have gray silvery crossbands.

This secretive salamander spends most of its time under rocks logs or forest debris preferring forested areas. Marbled salamanders grow to about 3 5 4 25 in 9 10 7 cm in size and are stout bodied and chubby in appearance. Both males and females typically migrate to the area surrounding a dry vernal pool in september and october. The marbled salamander varies in length from 9 10 7 cm 3 5 4 2 in.

The tail of the salamander has the ability to be removed without hurting the salamander itself well the tail is removed and wriggles about in front of a predator the salamander can run away and seek a place to. Dorsal or back side of the salamander. Marbled salamanders are late summer to early fall breeders. The diet of adult marbled salamanders includes earthworms insects crickets ants snails and slugs.

The body is black with light bands of varying widths running across the back. Defense mechanisms like all salamanders the marbled salamander has the ability to remove its tail with an ability called autotomy. Muscular tail used for swimming. The latin word opacum means shaded dark obscure or dim and refers to the adult dorsal color pattern.

Marbled salamanders spend most of their lives in self excavated burrows or those dug by small mammals and are most commonly found in deciduous or mixed pine forests on sandy soil. The marbled salamander is a stocky boldly banded salamander. Skin glands on neck back and shoulder which secretes neurotoxin for defense mechanism. The deep spaces between the ribs for blood vessels and nerves.