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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
Date:
November 28th 2014
Species Found:
- Red Back Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
Background:
I was at my cousins' house in New Jersey for Thanksgiving Break when my uncle told me that he had seen some salamanders in a crevice in the basement.
The Trip:
I went into the basement one night with a flashlight and looked in the small gap between the wall and the floor. There were bits of sponge and plastic mixed in with the concrete pebbles in the crevice. Under a piece of sponge there was a black salamander with a long tail. I carefully pulled it out with a piece of paper and showed to to my cousins.
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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
I didn't know the exact species but I suspected that it was a lead-backed Red Back Salamander, a really thin Northern Dusky Salamander, or a really dark Northern Slimy Salamander. I put it on a paper towel to get more photos and then released it back into the crevice.
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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
The next morning I went to check on the salamanders and I found the same individual I had seen the day before. I also found a tiny neonate (baby) salamander, about the size of a grain of rice and it had a red stripe running down its back. This confirmed my suspicions that it they were indeed Red Back Salamanders. I had seen this species in Illinois the month before. I tried to get the neonate out of the crack with a piece of paper but it slipped under some gravel and disappeared. The sun was shining outside so I decided to take the adult Lead Back outside and get a few more photos.
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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
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| Lead back phase, Red Back Salamander |
I didn't get a new species to add to my list but I did get to see an unexpected herp, which was really cool. Also, there was snow outside and winter was in full swing so finding anything at all was a surprise.
