Species
Green salamander
Aneides aeneus
A lichen-green salamander that climbs rock faces and lives in narrow crevices in cliffs.
Photo Turner Brockman (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 8 to 13 cm long
- Habitat
- Damp, shaded cliffs and rock outcrops in forest; sometimes in trees
- Diet
- Ants, beetles and other small invertebrates
- In Georgia
- Rocky outcrops of the far north; rare
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Flattened body; dark with a lichen-like pattern of green or yellow-green; square-tipped toes for climbing
- Told apart from
- Every other Georgia salamander by its green lichen pattern
- Where to look
- In rock crevices on humid nights
Behaviour
Green salamanders live in thin cracks in rock faces, their flat bodies fitting spaces few other animals can use. They climb well and sometimes live under the bark of trees.
Why they matter
They have disappeared from many sites and depend on shaded, damp rock outcrops in mature forest. Georgia is at the southern edge of their Appalachian range.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Hung in a cluster from the roof of a crevice, guarded by the female
Hatching — In about three months, as tiny copies of the adults
Young — No aquatic stage
Maturity — At about three years
Lifespan — Over 10 years
Breathing — Through the skin; no lungs
Living around people
- Climbers and hikers can help by leaving the plants and lichens on cliff faces alone.
- Keep shade trees around rock outcrops; they keep the crevices damp.
Misconceptions
- Salamanders live only on the ground. This one lives on cliffs.
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 | Deep in crevices | Deep in crevices | Deep in crevices | Active on humid nights | Active | Laying eggs in crevices | Females guarding eggs | Guarding eggs | Young hatching | Moving to winter crevices | Deep in crevices | Deep in crevices |
Where it lives
Recorded in 12 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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