Species
Hillis's dwarf salamander
Eurycea hillisi
A tiny dwarf salamander of southwest Georgia, recognised as a species of its own only in recent years.
Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 5 to 8 cm long
- Habitat
- Seepage slopes, stream edges and wet flatwoods
- Diet
- Tiny invertebrates
- In Georgia
- Southwest Georgia
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Tiny and slim; brownish with a dark side stripe; four toes on each hind foot
- Told apart from
- Coastal plain dwarf salamander by where it lives
- Where to look
- Among wet leaves near seeps
Behaviour
It lives among wet leaves and moss near water and breeds in winter.
Why they matter
It shows how much is still being learnt about Georgia's animals: it was recognised as a species only after genetic study.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Attached singly in water
Hatching — In several weeks
Larvae — Aquatic for a few months
Maturity — Within a year
Lifespan — A few years
Breathing — Through the skin; no lungs
Living around people
- Seeps and small wetlands left undrained are what it needs.
Misconceptions
- All species have long been known. This one was described in the 2010s.
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 | Laying eggs | Laying eggs | Larvae | Larvae | Young leaving water | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active | Moving to breeding sites | Laying eggs |
Where it lives
Recorded in 3 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
If you found one
Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.
I found an animal