Wednesday, April 16th
April's meeting will focus on how to safely handle and present your reptile to the public. Please feel free to bring your own animal to show off.
Meetings start promptly at 8pm in the Alumni Room of Medaille College.
Annual Banquet
PLEASE NOTE: The annual banquet and recognition dinner will be rescheduled due to conflicts. The new date will likely be a Saturday in May, please contact a board member for more information.
Jefferson Salamander
(Ambystoma jeffersonianum)
Photo Courtesy of Christopher Schierer
Click for larger image
The Jefferson Salamander is four to eight inches in length. They have a long slender body with a wide snout. They are usually brownish-gray to dark brown with blue mottling on the legs and lower body. The belly is lighter in color and the area around the vent is usually gray.
From March to April females will migrate to ponds or other bodies of water to lay their eggs. The eggs are laid in 10 - 20 cylindrical masses and are usually attached to narrow twigs underwater. After 30 - 45 days the larvae will hatch and are about one half inch long. By July - September the larvae will have fully transformed and will be two to three inches in length.
Jefferson Salamanders are usually found under logs and other cover in deciduous forests near a swamp or ponds.
The Jefferson Salamander will often interbreed with the Blue Spotted Salamander (A. laterale) forming what is know as the Jefferson Salamander Complex which can make exact identification extremely difficult.
Remember that in many places it is illegal to take wildlife out of the wild without the proper permits from local, state, or federal authorities. Please do not release any captive reptiles or amphibians into the wild as this will disrupt the natural order of our environment. See our amphibian and reptile adoptions page for more information on what to do with unwanted herps.
Help further herpetology research and education by donating to the Marvin R. Aures Herpetological Grant