Biodiversity Spotlight by Zack Davis:

The Little Guys of Ohio

Inaugural special: Our slimy friends the salamanders

 

Hello! Ohio is home to some lil guys who you probably don’t know too much about. Well, it’s time we change that, we’ll introduce you to some of our slimy friends, the salamanders. Salamanders, we know them, we love them and we like to think they love us back because they are so gosh darn cute. Here are some basic facts about the salamander

 

1. They are amphibians like frogs and toads
2. Salamanders are apart of the order Caudata which includes ten families
3. Some species of salamander live their whole lives in the water, others live their whole lives on land, some go in between
4. There are more salamanders in North America than anywhere else in the world
5. Some have only gills, others have only lungs and some have gills and lungs at different stages of their lives
6. There are 25 species of salamanders in Ohio
7. There are at least 740 species of salamanders including newts

 

Wait newts? Aren’t newts not salamanders? Well, salamanders and newts are from the same family and the same order, in other words all newts are salamanders but not all salamanders are newts. Okay, let’s crack into Ohio's salamanders. 

 

THE BIG FELLA BELOW

Let’s start with Ohio’s largest salamander, the Eastern Hellbender which can get up to 27 inches long. Sounds like an aggressive beast, but these guys are about as harmless as the rest of Ohio’s salamanders. Hellbenders breed in late August and in September, this is about the only time the otherwise rather solitary salamanders gather in groups of ten or larger. This is about the only time the Hellbender will grow aggressive, the males will sometimes corral the females into the breeding location. The dad makes a nest under a large flat rock and the mom fills it in with up to 500 eggs, sometimes different females will use the same nest, making what we like to refer to as the hellbender day care. The dad won’t actually fertilize the eggs until they are actually laid and in two to three months the baby benders will hatch, until then the male will chase out the female and protect the nest, imagine the father’s day party. 

 

There are actually two subspecies of Hellbenders, one being the eastern Hellbender, which occurs here in Ohio and the Ozark Hellbender which can be found in Missouri and Arkansas. The Eastern Hellbender is most common along the Appalachian mountain range and thus can be most easily found in Ohio’s Southeast. Hellbenders make their homes under large rocks in bigger swift flowing streams. Hellbenders do have lungs but they actually breathe more often through their loose wrinkled skin, with the kiddies using gills until they are one or one and half years old. 

 

So what do Hellbenders eat? Well a lot, they can actually eat almost anything that fits inside their giant mouth, crayfish, worms, minnows, insects, tadpoles and each other. That’s right Hellbenders are one of the many species on earth who practice cannibalism, which is actually more common than you may think, though we doubt that’s a suitable defense if you end up in court. Hellbenders are a little like alligator snapping turtles because they lie in wait for their prey. 

 

Water snakes, fish and turtles will also help themselves to young Hellbenders. When they get older their main predators are raccoons, minks and river otters. As for the name no one really seems to know for sure, one story holds that settlers reckoned it looked like a creature from Hell that was bent on returning. We here at the magazine think that’s really mean and they don’t deserve that, but the name is freakin’ sweet in spite of that. They are also called snot otters, devil dogs, grampuses, Allegheny alligators, mud dogs, water dogs and water newts. 

 

ARF ARF

Everybody fawns over Axolotl and they’re great so I get it, but we have our lil dudes too. Like the Common Mudpuppy. These guys live under water their whole lives underwater. They only really come out at night and are more than fine living in deep, especially during winter and summer, and muddy water, a true role model for basement dwellers everywhere. They breathe through red fluffy gills, can grow up to sixteen inches long and weigh as much as a pound. There is actually a type of freshwater mussel called the salamander mussel that will actually hitch a ride on mudpuppies almost exclusively. 

 

Mudpuppies are considered indicator species for how well their environment is doing. Mudpuppies, unlike many amphibians, don't actually hibernate and are active all year, only mixing and mingling during their mating season in the fall. Mudpuppies often walk on the bottom of the stream they live on but can swim. Mudpuppies have a good sense of smell, organs that help them detect pressure changes and water movement and when they do communicate with each other they use touch and chemicals to talk to one another. As for their name well, some on occasion they will make a sound a bit like a dog barking, mystery solved. Either way we should give these good boys some appreciation for the good jobs they do. 

 

OUR GUYS

Ohio is home to the Eastern or Red Spotted Newt, Notophthalmus Viridescens.  Unlike the last two salamanders we talked about, these guys are very little capping off at about five inches long. They are also pretty different from the last two in another way, they walk about on land. The story of the newt’s life begins with the mating season in late winter and early spring. Males will attempt to woo the ladies through wiggling their tails and emitting pheromones, how romantic. Males will then hitch a ride on the female, sometimes other males will attempt to fertilize the eggs of a mating pair. Whatever way the eggs are fertilized the female will lay anywhere from 200 to 400 eggs, which may sound like a lot of newts that will be running around, but most of the eggs will be eaten by aquatic insects, leeches, bigger newts and other predators. Over the next several weeks on underwater plants, aside from the role the parents have in having their offspring, newts don’t actually parent their babies. Which seems to work well enough given that the species is still around, nature isn’t always pretty, but it works. While they are in this larvae stage they feed on insects and their larvae, including mosquitoes. After hatching the little newtlings (yes, we made that up) will live in water for a few months before losing their gills, growing their lungs and leaving the water to explore the world. 

 

This is the most famous life stage of the Eastern Newt, the red eft. These guys often come out after the rain and hide under decaying logs or wet leaves. These guys are a brilliant red or orange and are pretty hard to miss if one is walking along the forest floor. That may seem a bit foolish as it seems that predators will make an easy meal out of the efts, but that’s pretty far from the truth. There’s a reason why the red eft comes in such brilliant colors, it’s a warning to predators. You see the red eft is quite poisonous. Handling the little guy won’t poison you , but eating one will. They have a very potent tetrodotoxin  that will really mess up your day. Maybe that’s the reason some other salamanders are also orange or red. They gather around mushrooms to find their prey including mites, slugs, maggots, worms and snails. 

 

After they are red efts at about the third year of their life span they become adult newts. They turn from their bright colors to darker colors like olive that help them camouflage against the floor of the stream or pools of water they live in. Adults may have small spots on their bodies with the females usually being lighter in color than the males. During the winter adults may leave the water for a place to spend the season, migrating back in the spring to the waters where they breed. Then during the spring they breed again. How’s that for a mascot? 

 

THE DIGGERS AND THE SKIN BREATHERS  

There are two main types of Salamanders in Ohio, the Mole Salamanders (family Ambystomatidae) and the Lungless Salamanders (family Plethodontidae). The Mole Salamanders, like their name suggests, spend most of their lives underground and have well developed lungs. There are seven species of mole salamanders in Ohio. There are 14 species of lungless salamanders in Ohio, these species breath through their skin only and lack both gills and lungs, meaning that they can drown and that they should only be handled for a few seconds at most, if at all. Our state amphibian is the Spotted Salamander, one of Ohio’s seven mole species. The largest species of terrestrial salamanders is the Eastern Tiger, which is known for its elaborate courtship dance of pushing and nose rubbing. Zack’s personal favorite of the lungless salamander is the Eastern Redback Salamander. You can actually find these guys in the woods around the Olentangy River.

 

The Red Backed Salamander can be found in two color phases: lead back, where the little guys range from gray to black in color, and the red back phase, where they have an orange or red stripe down their back and tail. These guys can also drop part of their tails to escape from predators, Zack can confirm, the disembodied tails wriggle violently. A new tail may grow to replace the lost one, but it won’t be as pretty. Zack’s very sorry to General Sherman (what he named one of the one’s he found), he’s very sorry he scared him into dropping his tail. The Redbacked salamander lives in damp places, often logs, leaf litter and burrows, hiding underground in winter. They also have a very low tolerance for acidic soil. They eat small invertebrates like spiders, worms, insects and snails. These little guys are also a bit like dogs, because they mark their territory with their scent and dung (bleh). They also can get pretty uppity if another salamander enters their territory. Salamander moms lay their eggs under rocks and logs. 

 

SALAMANDERS IN DANGER

Unfortunately a lot of salamanders are in danger. Four species of Salamander in Ohio are endangered. The Blue Spotted Salamander, Green Salamander, Cave Salamander and the Eastern Hellbender. The Midland Mud Salamander is threatened here and the Four Toed Salamander is considered a species of concern.  Which is a real problem, not just because salamanders are cute and really awesome but also because they are a really important part of the ecosystem. They control populations of small invertebrates, influence decomposition, provide food for other animals and as we saw with the mudpuppy, can be an important indicator of a habitat’s health. Salamanders are literally supposed to have no downsides as far as we know. So why are salamanders having a rough time? Well, pesticides and insecticides can get into bodies of water and poison them, which is extra hard for them because they can absorb things through their skin much more easily than other animals. Invasive fish species will dine on and at times devour the local manders. There is a type of fungus that causes a disease that can be potentially deadly to all kinds of amphibians. Habitat loss is the biggest threat to our little friends however. Wetlands many species rely on get filled or drained to make way for human development. Forests get cut down and streams are channelized and eroded, with the trees that surround the banks being cut down (sometimes this is necessary but other times it can do a lot more harm than good). 

 

So what can you do? Well, you can help educate others, support efforts to protect natural areas, try not to disturb fragile salamander habitat like vernal pools, reduce fertilizers and pesticides in your garden, not remove rotting logs which can be salamander habitat, allow more wild parts of your backyard or property to grow, put rocks and logs back where you found them, and of course ask your local community and government to help protect these amazing creatures. With any luck and a bit of elbow grease, these wonderful creatures will be walking and swimming about our woods, wetlands and waters for generations to come. 

 

Sources

Salamander, Britannica, accessed March 13, 2025 https://www.britannica.com/animal/salamander

Amphibians of Ohio Field guide, accessed March 13, 2025 https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/ohiodnr.gov/documents/wildlife/backyard-wildlife/Amphibians%20of%20Ohio%20Field%20Guide%20pub348.pdf

Caudata, Britannica, accessed March 13, 2025 https://www.britannica.com/animal/Caudata

Hellbender, SELO PRISM, accessed March 13, 2025 https://www.sleloinvasives.org/invasives/native-species/hellbender/

Eastern Hellbender, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, accessed March 13, 2025 https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/reptiles-amphibians/eastern-hellbender

Hellbender, National Wildlife Federation, accessed March 13, 2025 https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Amphibians/Hellbender

Hellbender, Smithsonian National Zoo, accessed March 13, 2025 Https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/hellbender

Necturus Maculosus (Mudpuppy), Animal Diverseity.org, accessed March 13, 2025 https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Necturus_maculosus/#d6689243cb4010158aafbee6c34a0de9

Creature Feature: The Peculiar Mudpuppy, Shedd Aquarium, accessed March 13, 2025 https://www.sheddaquarium.org/stories/creature-feature-the-peculiar-mudpuppy

All about mudpuppies, Land Conservation Foundation, accessed March 13, 2025 https://www.landconservationfoundation.org/all-about-mudpuppies

Eastern Newt, Smithsonian National Zoo, accessed March 13, 2025 https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/eastern-newt

Eastern or Red-spotted Newt, Maryland Zoo, accessed March 13, 2025 https://www.marylandzoo.org/animal/eastern-newt-red-spotted-newt/

Notopthalmus viridescens (Eastern Newt), Animal Divrisety.Org, accessed March 13, 2025 https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Notophthalmus_viridescens/

Beware the red eft, Blue Ridge Discovery Center, accessed March 13, 2025

https://blueridgediscoverycenter.org/blueridgediscoverycenterblog/2010/05/beware-red-eft.html

Eastern Newt, Wild Adirondacks, accessed March 13, 2025 https://wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-amphibians-eastern-newt-notophthalmus-viridescens.html

Eastern red-backed salamander, Smithsonian National Zoo, accessed March 13, 2025 https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/eastern-red-backed-salamander

Getting to know salamanders life history and management, Ohio State University,  accessed March 13, 2025 https://woodlandstewards.osu.edu/sites/woodlands/files/d6/files/pubfiles/salamander.pdf

Salamander threats and conservation, Virginia Department of Wildlife, accessed March 13, 2025

https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/salamanders/salamander-conservation/

BioBlitz (and Linworth Taxonomy)

WHAT: Citizen Science Earth Day Event for All Ages.

WHY: To Monitor the Ecosystem in our Community.

WHEN: April 19th, from 1-3 pm.

WHERE: Worthington Parklands, 600 W. Wilson Bridge Road. Meet by the parking lot. 

 

Thanks to everyone who came out to help catalog species along the Olentangy River last weekend! Pictures will be posted here in the coming weeks. Please send your pictures to Linworthgarden@gmail.com if you would like us to post them here.

 

Stay tuned for future Biioblitz opportunities in Worthington.

The Linworth Taxonomy is now on iNaturalist!

 

We will be migrating the existing species list to the iNaturalist app during the school year, but all new pictures should be uploaded to the Linworth Taxonomy project at iNaturalist or sent to Mason or Devin to be uploaded and identified. 

You can see our iNaturalist project here:

Linworth Taxonomy Project on iNaturalist

 

        Carolina Mantis (gravid female)

 

Featured Photos