Species
Atlantic coast slimy salamander
Plethodon chlorobryonis
A slimy salamander of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, reaching Georgia at the southern edge of its range.
Photo Clay Gibbons (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 11 to 17 cm long
- Habitat
- Moist hardwood forests and ravines
- Diet
- Small invertebrates
- In Georgia
- The east of the state; uncommon
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Black with many small white or brassy flecks
- Told apart from
- Other slimy salamanders by where it lives
- Where to look
- Under logs in damp woods
Behaviour
It lives in rotting logs and leaf litter and comes out to hunt on wet nights.
Why they matter
It is one of the many lungless salamanders that keep the forest floor's invertebrates in check.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Laid in moist cavities and guarded by the female
Hatching — As tiny copies of the adults
Young — No aquatic stage
Maturity — At a few years
Lifespan — Many years
Breathing — Through the skin; no lungs
Living around people
- Put back logs and rocks exactly as they were.
Misconceptions
- All black salamanders are the same. Georgia has several look-alike slimy 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 | Underground in cold weather | Active on mild wet nights | Active | Active | Active | Laying eggs | Underground in dry weather | Underground in dry weather | Young hatching | Active on wet nights | Active on wet nights | Underground in cold weather |
Where it lives
Recorded in 4 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
If you found one
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