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Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum)
Physical Description:
• 3 ½" to 5" in length
• Head and limbs are relatively small in size
• Dark with gray netlike markings on its back
• Belly is black with gray specks
Range:
• S. Carolina south to Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia and Florida, west to se. Mississippi.
Habitat Description:
• Require flat, low-lying longleaf or slash pine forests with interspersed isolated wetlands.
• Spring/Summer; the vast majority of their time is spent underground
• Fall/Winter; autumn showers prompt migration to breeding wetland sites
Feeding:
• A carnivorous, opportunistic feeder,
• Feeds primarily on small worms, beetle larvae, and termites
Breeding:
• In fall they gather at the grassy area between the wetland and forested uplands, laying sticky clusters of eggs that cling to vegetation.
• Female lays up to 160 eggs, singly or in small groups
• As the wetland fills, the eggs are inundated and begin to mature.
• Larvae hatch 3-5 weeks after laying
Interesting trivia:
• Habitat specialist
• Found primarily underground or in cool, damp crevices under rocks or logs during the day time
• Come out at night to search for food
• Wetlands where eggs are laid must be typically free of large fish that might otherwise eat large numbers of salamander eggs and larvae
Status:
• Federally threatened
Causes for decline:
• Habitat degradation through forestry operations that cause major soil disturbances and alterations to forest and ground cover conditions surrounding isolated wetlands
• Fire suppression that removes habitat between upland and wetland