Species
Apalachicola dusky salamander
Desmognathus apalachicolae
A dusky salamander of the steep ravines along the Apalachicola and Chattahoochee rivers.
Photo iNaturalist user: evangrimes (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 6 to 10 cm long
- Habitat
- Seepage streams in steep, shaded ravines
- Diet
- Small invertebrates
- In Georgia
- Ravines of the far south-west; rare
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Brown with a paler, wavy-edged band down the back
- Told apart from
- Other dusky salamanders by where it lives
- Where to look
- Almost never seen; along ravine seeps
Behaviour
It lives along small seepage streams in deep ravines, hunting at night.
Why they matter
The steep ravines of the Apalachicola region are a refuge for many unusual animals and plants.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Laid near seeps and guarded by the female
Hatching — In one to two months
Larvae — Aquatic for several months
Maturity — At a few years
Lifespan — Several years
Breathing — Through the skin; no lungs
Living around people
- Keep ravine seeps shaded and free of silt.
Misconceptions
- Southern Georgia has no ravines. Its south-west has steep ones full of salamanders.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Active on mild nights | Active | Active | Active | Active | Laying eggs | Females guarding eggs | Guarding eggs | Larvae hatching | Active | Active | Active on mild nights |
Where it lives
Recorded in 2 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
If you found one
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