Species
Southern zigzag salamander
Plethodon ventralis
A small woodland salamander with a wavy orange stripe, found under rocks in northwest Georgia.
Photo Alex Stach (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 7 to 10 cm long
- Habitat
- Moist forests on rocky slopes, often limestone
- Diet
- Tiny invertebrates
- In Georgia
- Northwest Georgia
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Slim and dark with a wavy, zigzag orange or red stripe down the back; mottled belly
- Told apart from
- Southern red-backed salamander, which has a straighter, saw-edged stripe
- Where to look
- Under rocks and logs on wooded slopes
Behaviour
It lives under rocks and in crevices and comes to the surface on cool, wet days and nights.
Why they matter
It is one of the small lungless salamanders that eat the tiny animals of the forest floor.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Laid in crevices underground
Hatching — As tiny copies of the adults
Young — No aquatic stage
Maturity — At about two years
Lifespan — Several years
Breathing — Through the skin; no lungs
Living around people
- Leave rocks on wooded slopes where they lie.
Misconceptions
- A small salamander is a baby. This species is small as an adult.
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 | Underground in cold weather | Active on mild wet days | Active | Active | Laying eggs | Underground in heat | Underground in heat | Young hatching | Active on wet nights | Active | Active | Active on mild days |
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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