Species
Georgia blind salamander
Eurycea wallacei
A pale, eyeless salamander that lives only in the flooded limestone caves of southwest Georgia and north Florida.
Photo Bgenter (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 5 to 7.5 cm long
- Habitat
- Water-filled caves and wells in limestone
- Diet
- Tiny cave crustaceans
- In Georgia
- Limestone caves of southwest Georgia; very rare
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Pale, pinkish-white and eyeless, with red, feathery gills
- Told apart from
- Every other Georgia salamander by its lack of eyes and colour
- Where to look
- Only in flooded caves; almost never seen
Behaviour
It lives its whole life in the dark water of limestone aquifers, finding food by touch and vibration. It was first found in a well.
Why they matter
It depends on clean groundwater, the same water that feeds springs and many people's wells, so it is a living measure of the aquifer's health.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Little is known
Hatching — Little is known
Larvae — Keeps its gills for life
Maturity — Little is known
Lifespan — Little is known
Habits — Fully aquatic, in darkness
Living around people
- Keeping pollution out of groundwater protects it.
Misconceptions
- Animals without eyes are sick. It has adapted to a life in total darkness.
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 | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer | In the aquifer |
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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