Marbled Salamander Salamanders Arkansas

Marbled salamanders are part of the mole salamander family which is a group of salamanders endemic to north america and the only genus in the.

Marbled salamander salamanders arkansas.

Adult marbled salamanders maintained on a low food diet were more prone to bite an intruding salamander than those on a high food diet ducey and heuer 1991 which may indicate that aggression functions to repel an intruder from an individual s feeding area burrow refuge. Sporting white or gray bands across its body this secretive species is known to hide out beneath leaves and logs. Marbled salamander in boone county. It gets its name from the white or silver bands that cover the black bodies of adult salamanders.

Adults can grow to about 11 cm 4 in small compared to other members of its genus. The marbled salamander ambystoma opacum also called the banded salamander is a member of the mole salamander family. Adults are easily distinguished from other species. Larvae are easily confused with spotted blue spotted and jefferson salamanders.

Like most of the mole salamanders it is secretive spending most of its life under logs or in burrows. The marbled salamander is a stocky boldly banded salamander. Marbled salamanders are black with white splotches and bands giving them a marbled appearance. Plethodontidae lungless salamanders genera.

The marbled salamander is a relatively common resident throughout north carolina. They typically grow to about 4 inches long. Color a midnight blue with bold broad silvery white crossbands often forming the appearance of inverse circles. A small stout bodied salamander measuring 3 4 5 inches with distinct light crossbands across a dark back.

Marbled salamander ambystoma opacum. Marbled salamanders grow to about 3 5 4 25 in 9 10 7 cm in size and are stout bodied and chubby in appearance. They can live between11 14 years if properly cared for. Like other mole salamanders marbled salamanders are predators of smaller creatures but though they are voracious predators of insects worms and slugs they along with their eggs and juvenile forms provide food for many other hungry animals.

The bands are variable in size and shape and may be incomplete. The mission of this website is to distribute and share knowledge regarding the naturally occurring reptiles and amphibians of arkansas. The bands of females tend to be gray while those of males are more white. Herps of arkansas frogs and salamanders alligator lizards snakes and turtles.

This species is sexually dimorphic males tend to have white crossbands and females tend to have gray silvery crossbands.