Jefferson Salamander
(Ambystoma jeffersonianum)
Photo Courtesy of Christopher Schierer
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.