Ohio’s Country Journal recently went on his first salamander search and “could not believe what we found !” He quotes Marne Titchenell , wildlife specialist in CFAES’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, and mentions the college’s Getting to Know Salamanders
For many of Ohio’s salamanders , “spring means journeying to ponds or vernal pools” for mating, says the bulletin, which Titchenell co-authored. “Migration usually begins after dark, approximately one hour after the first spring rain when the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.”
There are good green reasons to go looking for salamanders, too, in addition to a fondness for often secretive, sometimes colorful, usually forest-dwelling elongate amphibians.
Salamanders, Titchenell said in the story, “can be important environmental indicators due to the permeability of their skin and eggs.” They’re “very susceptible to toxins or changes in their environment.”
(Photo: Red eft, or red-spotted newt , by EzumeImages, iStock.)
7 Examples of Ohio Salamanders Northern Neighbor The smallmouth salamander, which is marked by its small head, medium size and petite piehole, lives mainly in the northern half of Ohio in deciduous and swamp forests. (Photo: Brian MacGowan, Purdue University.) originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 2272 height 1704 Tail Tells the Tale The longtail salamander lives in eastern and southern Ohio. It prefers wet, shaded streams with large, flat rocks. Its tail can be two-thirds of its total length. (Photo: Brian MacGowan, Purdue University.) originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 2272 height 1704 Shades of Brown The northern dusky salamander also lives in eastern and southern Ohio — near wooded stream banks and underneath rocks, logs and old leaves. (Photo: Brian MacGowan, Purdue University.) originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 2272 height 1704 Ravine Resident Another species that calls eastern and southern Ohio home, the ravine salamander lives on forested hillsides and slopes, where it hides beneath rocks and logs. (Photo: Brian MacGowan, Purdue University.) originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 2272 height 1704 Two Lines, Two Species The closely related northern two-lined salamander and southern two-lined salamander get their names from the twin lines that extend from behind the eyes to the tip of the tail. (Photo: Brian MacGowan, Purdue University.) originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 2272 height 1704 Why They’re Called Mole Salamanders A smallmouth salamander burrows into soil. The smallmouth salamander belongs to a group called the mole salamanders, which have well-developed lungs and spend most of their lives underground. (Photo: Marne Titchenell, The Ohio State University.) focallength 26 flash 24 cameramake NIKON CORPORATION height 2592 fnumber 4.2 exposuretime 0.025 orientation 1 camerasoftware Ver.1.00 originaldate 3/17/2013 8:19:29 AM width 3872 cameramodel NIKON D3000 Eggs-ample Salamanders, like all amphibians, lay eggs enclosed in soft, gelatinous envelopes. Shown here are spotted salamander egg masses found in a woodland pool in southern Ohio. (Photo: Marne Titchenell, The Ohio State University.) cameramake Canon focallength 4.3 height 3000 fnumber 2.7 exposuretime 0.005 orientation 1 flash 24 originaldate 3/27/2013 2:26:13 AM width 4000 cameramodel Canon PowerShot ELPH
Matt Reese of Ohio’s Country Journal recently went on his first salamander search and “could not believe what we found!” He quotes Marne Titchenell, wildlife specialist in CFAES’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, and mentions the college’s Getting to Know Salamanders bulletin.