Species
Southern shovel-nosed dusky salamander
Desmognathus aureatus
A flat-headed salamander that lives under rocks in the current of fast mountain streams.
Photo Alex Stach (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 8 to 13 cm long
- Habitat
- Fast, rocky, cold mountain streams
- Diet
- Aquatic insects
- In Georgia
- Mountain streams of north-east Georgia
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Flattened, wedge-shaped head; dark grey to brown with pale spots
- Told apart from
- Southern blackbelly salamander, which has a black belly, a rounder head and a stouter body
- Where to look
- Under rocks in fast water; rarely seen
Behaviour
It is the most aquatic of the dusky salamanders, living under rocks in the current and rarely leaving the water.
Why they matter
It needs cold, clear, fast water, so it is one of the first animals to vanish when streams silt up.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Attached under rocks in the stream, guarded by the female
Hatching — In two to three months
Larvae — Aquatic for about two years
Maturity — At a few years
Lifespan — Many years
Breathing — Through the skin; no lungs
Living around people
- Keep silt out of mountain streams; do not move rocks in fast water.
Misconceptions
- Salamanders cannot live in fast water. This one lives in the current.
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 | Under rocks in water | Under rocks in water | Active | Active | Active | Laying eggs | Females guarding eggs | Guarding eggs | Larvae hatching | Active | Active | Under rocks in water |
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
Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.
I found an animal