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Marbled Salamander

(Ambystoma opacum)

The marbled salamander is a smaller species, only reaching lengths of about three to four inches in length with the females being larger in size. They are dark in coloration with white or light gray cross-bands across their head, back, and tail. Males tend to have silvery white cross-bands while the females generally have silvery gray cross-bands. The male marbled salamanders' cross-bands can become very white along the cloacal glads during the breeding season in early autumn.

Marbled salamanders can be found through most of the Midwest and are found as far south as norther Florida and as far north as souther New England. In New York State marbled salamanders have only been reported southeast portions of the state. You can generally find marbled salamanders in moist environments close to a source of fresh water, though they are not known to enter the water on a regular basis. They can usually be found under leaf litter or in burrows and are generally solitary animals.

Instead of breeding in breeding ponds like other members of this family of salamanders the marbled salamander breeds entirely on land in the autumn. The female will deposit a clutch of 50 to 100 eggs in a small depression in the ground in a reduced pond or dried bed of a temporary pond or ditch. After depositing her eggs the female will remain at the nesting site until the nest is flooded by the autumn rains to ensure that the eggs remain moist. If the autumn rains do not come the eggs will often be able to over-winter and hatch in the spring as long as temperatures do not fall too low.

The marbled salamander larvae are gray and are less then ½ inch in size when hatched. They grow very quickly and metamorphosis generally takes eight to nine months. Juveniles are about two inches in length and will reach sexual maturity in about 15 months.

Marbled salamander larva feed mostly on macrozooplankton, though larger larvae will also feed on other amphibian eggs and larvae. Adults will prey upon small worms, insects, slugs, snails, and other small invertebrates. They are attracted to movement as well as odor and will not feed upon dead prey.

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.

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