Species
South Carolina slimy salamander
Plethodon variolatus
A white-speckled slimy salamander of the Coastal Plain along Georgia's border with South Carolina.
Photo Benjamin Genter (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 10 to 15 cm long
- Habitat
- Moist forests, floodplains and ravines
- Diet
- Small invertebrates
- In Georgia
- The eastern Coastal Plain
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Black with many small white spots
- Told apart from
- Other slimy salamanders by where it lives
- Where to look
- Rarely seen; under logs in damp woods
Behaviour
It hunts in leaf litter on wet nights and shelters under logs and in burrows by day.
Why they matter
It is one of the few salamanders of the lower Coastal Plain of Georgia and South Carolina.
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
- Fallen wood in damp woods is its shelter.
Misconceptions
- Salamanders are lizards. They have moist skin and no scales.
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 | Active on mild wet nights | Active on 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 | Active on mild nights |
Where it lives
Recorded in 2 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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