Species
Gulf Coast mud salamander
Pseudotriton flavissimus
A small, orange mud salamander of southwest Georgia's seeps and spring-fed swamps.
Photo Sean Krieg (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 7 to 12 cm long
- Habitat
- Muddy seeps, springs and swamp edges
- Diet
- Worms and small invertebrates
- In Georgia
- Southwest Georgia; rarely seen
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Orange to yellowish with small, round black spots; brown eyes
- Told apart from
- Red salamander, which is larger with more spots and yellow eyes
- Where to look
- Almost never seen; it lives in burrows
Behaviour
It lives in burrows in soft mud and hunts in the tunnels.
Why they matter
It is one of the hidden salamanders of the Gulf Coastal Plain's springs and seeps.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Laid in burrows or under debris in water
Hatching — In winter
Larvae — Aquatic for over a year
Maturity — At a few years
Lifespan — Many years
Habits — Lives in mud burrows
Living around people
- Seeps and springs are its home; keep them undrained.
Misconceptions
- One mud salamander is like another. The Gulf Coast mud salamander is now treated as a species of its own.
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 burrows | In burrows | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active | Mating | Laying eggs | Eggs | Larvae hatching |
Where it lives
Recorded in 5 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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