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Overview: The Mole Salamanders Both salamanders listed as indicator species are known as mole salamanders. This common name refers to the burrowing habits of adults who live most of their lives underground in root cavities and the burrows of small mammals. They may live as deep as three feet below ground. The spotted and blue-spotted salamanders share a distinctive life history. Adult salamanders emerge from their subterranean haunts on the first relatively warm rainy nights of early spring. It is estimated that 90 percent return to the pools from which they emerged. Male salamanders migrate to the breeding pool first and wait for the females to arrive. Adult salamanders will migrate up to one-half mile to reach breeding pools. In the pool, males and females participate in a mass courtship ritual known as congressing. Males deposit gelatinous capsules, called spermatophores, up to one-half inch long, on the bottom of the pool. Females take these sperm-filled packets into their vents (cloacae) and fertilization occurs internally at the time of egg deposition. The eggs are generally laid in gelatinous masses attached to vegetation in the water. The adults leave the pool after breeding, normally waiting for a rainy or wet night before returning to their cavities in the forest floor. The eggs hatch in three to eight weeks. The larvae are entirely aquatic and breathe with external gills. They gradually develop legs and jaws during their time in the pool. Larvae are carnivorous, eating insect larvae, small crustaceans, and aquatic worms. Under crowded conditions, larvae may become cannibalistic. After two or three months (usually between July and September), they transform into young adults. When they have lost the last traces of their gills, they leave the pool and begin the adult phase of their lives. Salamanders may live up to 15 years. To see the next species common to vernal pools, click Next. To return to the overview of four species common to vernal pools, click Overview. To go to the previous page, click Back. |
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