Wild Fact: Salamanders

More species of salamanders live in Georgia than any other group of amphibians or reptiles. Nevertheless, perhaps because these creatures are shy and silent, most people know little about them. Members of the mole salamander family are especially secretive, primarily living underground and only rising to the surface to breed. The marbled salamander is one such species, and it breeds in the fall. On rainy autumn nights, adults migrate towards the edges of wetlands. After mating, females deposit eggs under logs and in debris that is likely to be flooded. Although the larvae begin developing, hatching only occurs after rising waters inundate the eggs.

WILD Fact is a new regular feature written by Linda May, a wildlife interpretive specialist with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division based at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, Georgia.