Ambystoma gracile on the Playground

[Dan F]

The kids came to get me at lunch recess, telling me they had found a salamander. I expected to see yet another Rough-Skinned Newt (they're extremely common around here) but instead found this beautiful male Northwestern Mole Salamander.

After a few photos I released him away from the school yard.

 

[Gearhead]

WOW! Thats awsome, I never find any salamanders around here.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

Pretty cool that you got to see one in person. Most of the mole salamanders spend 95% of their lives underground. We have a few species here in PA that I've had the pleasure of seeing in the wild on rainy nights in the spring time.

 

[Dan F]

Pretty cool that you got to see one in person. Most of the mole salamanders spend 95% of their lives underground. We have a few species here in PA that I've had the pleasure of seeing in the wild on rainy nights in the spring time.

This is only the third one I have seen. One was in the bottom of a hole I had dug to get at a water line and then covered with a piece of plywood (technically underground, I guess). The other was in the corner of my driveway behind the garbage can, I think he worked himself into the corner and decided to wait it until dark.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

Sweet find D

 

[Noto]

Looks like a gravid female, probably on her way to a breeding site. Nice find! It's getting to be Ambystoma season here too, though the recent snow has delayed some of the migrations.

 

[ceeej31]

its cool that the kids went to go get you, when i was little i found a toad in the playground and another kid stomped on it . i made sure the kid regretted it though

 

[Mike D]

Nice find! I love going and looking for salamanders and such. I used to find a ton when I was yonger. Now I don't find as many.

 

[Dan F]

Looks like a gravid female, probably on her way to a breeding site. Nice find! It's getting to be Ambystoma season here too, though the recent snow has delayed some of the migrations.

That's exactly what I thought, but then I looked underneath and it had an enlarged cloaca. I thought that was indicative of a male, but I could be wrong?

We have had an unusually mild and snowless winter, so they are out early for these parts.

 

[Noto]

The females get somewhat enlarged cloacae during breeding season, but the cloaca appears rounded in outline. The cloaca of a breeding male is greatly enlarged and appears squarish.