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.
Northern Dusky Salamander
(Desmognathus fuscus)
The Northern Dusky Salamander is generally 2.5 - 5.5 inches in length. Adults are tan or dark brown and are mottled or have a wavy line down the back and a light line from the eye to the jaw. The pattern fades as the salamander grows older. Juveniles have 5 - 8 pairs of round yellow spots on their back which fade as the juveniles become adults.
From June to September they can be found laying clusters of eggs near water. The egg masses resemble grapes and can usually be found under rocks or logs. Larvae hatch 6 - 13 weeks later and transform 6 - 13 months later.
They can often be found in rocky streams and creeks and feeds on insect larvae, sow bugs and worms.
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 reptiles in need by donating to our Adoption Fund! Your donations will help feed and house reptiles waiting for adoption.