- Scientific name: Ambystoma opacum
- Species of Greatest Conservation Need (MA State Wildlife Action Plan)
- Threatened (MA Endangered Species Act)
Description
Marbled salamander is a stout, medium-sized salamander with a stocky body, short limbs, and a broad, rounded snout. Dorsal coloration is black, marked with bold, variably shaped grayish to whitish crossbands that create a marbled pattern from head to tail. Lateral and ventral coloration is uniformly dark gray to black. Banding on the mid- to upper dorsum tends to be bright white in mature males and dull gray in mature females. Banding on the tail can be white in both sexes or gray in females. Total length is 8-13 cm (3-5 in). Marbled salamander is in the family of mole salamanders (Ambystomatidae), and so it has distinctively longer toes and a stockier build relative to other groups of salamanders in our region.
Recently hatched larvae are dark brown to blackish in coloration and measure approximately half-an-inch in total length. Throughout development, they have bushy, external gills, a broad head, a long caudal fin that extends onto the back, and a row of bright-white spots leading from the armpit of the forelimb down the lower lateral part of the body toward the hind limb. As larvae age, they develop dark pigment (melanophores) on the chin and belly, as well as light yellowish to olive-colored rows of spots or blotches along the upper lateral part of the body and tail. Mottling of the body and tail increases with age of the larva, and total length typically reaches 5-6 cm (2-2.5 in) prior to metamorphosis. Although base coloration of older larvae is typically blackish, it apparently varies by certain environmental conditions. Larvae inhabiting turbid waters or dense algae beds may appear light brownish or greenish yellow, respectively, and dark-colored larvae collected from the wild may transition to a light-olive color when kept in a light-colored container. Albino/leucistic larvae have been documented in Massachusetts on at least two occasions, though there is no evidence that those occurrences were influenced by environmental conditions.
Recently metamorphosed larvae (metamorphs) have a base color of brown to black and are marked with light, silvery flecks that become more pronounced and aggregated over the dorsum during the first several weeks post-metamorphosis. As the juvenile matures during the following 1-2 months, the markings elongate to form the characteristic marbled pattern of an adult.
Similar Species
Adult marbled salamanders cannot be confused with any other species in Massachusetts. Presence of melanophores on the chin distinguish larval marbled salamanders from larvae of all other Ambystoma salamanders in Massachusetts. Although a ventrolateral row of whitish spots is sometimes visible in spotted salamander (A. maculatum) larvae (more commonly in young individuals), it is always prominent in marbled salamander larvae. Marbled salamander metamorphs are somewhat similar in appearance to those of spotted salamander, blue-spotted salamander (A. laterale), and Jefferson salamander (A. jeffersonianum), but metamorphs of the latter three species are distinguished by their yellowish (rather than silvery) dorsal flecking and tend not to occur on the landscape until July or August, when most young-of-the-year marbled salamanders have already attained their adult color pattern. Juvenile blue-spotted and Jefferson salamanders have light-blue flecking that might be mistaken for the silvery-gray flecking of juvenile marbled salamanders, but the markings in blue-spotted salamander and Jefferson salamander are concentrated much more heavily on the sides and legs (rather than on the head and dorsum).
Life cycle and behavior
As the family name “mole salamander” implies, adult and juvenile marbled salamanders spend most of their time underground or hidden beneath rocks, logs, leaf litter, or other debris. During rainy or otherwise humid nights in the warmer months of the year, individuals may occur on the ground surface for purposes of foraging, dispersal, or migration to breeding sites. However, most hours of the year are spent under leaf litter, in rodent tunnels, or in other subsurface cavities. Winters are spent below the frost line, presumably in vertical rodent tunnels and cavities associated with root channels or aggregates of stone.
Unlike most Ambystomatid salamanders in Massachusetts that breed during early spring and deposit gelatinous egg masses in water, marbled salamanders breed during late summer and deposit clutches of loose eggs in dried wetland basins (or dried portions thereof). In late August or early September (depending on the timing of rain or other high-humidity events), adult marbled salamanders emerge from their underground retreats and migrate to their breeding sites. Migrations occur at night, usually during or shortly following rain, or during foggy or misty conditions. Males generally arrive at the wetland basins several days to a couple of weeks prior to females.
Courtship occurs on land, either in the dried portions of the wetland basin or at some other location beyond the wetland (research suggests that males occasionally intercept females prior to their arrival at breeding sites). Courtship behavior involves circular “dancing” of two individuals, each curving its body and nudging the vent of the other with its snout. Sometimes, this dance involves two males, presumably as either a warm-up or display for any onlooking females. When a male and a female engage in the courtship dance, the male eventually deposits a gelatinous spermatophore (a tiny packet of sperm) on the ground, which the female picks up with her cloaca and stores for internal fertilization of her eggs.
After mating, the female moves to a select portion of the dried wetland basin to deposit her eggs. She forms a small, elliptical or oblong depression in the soil just beneath the leaf litter, a mat of dead vegetation, a partially embedded log, or other cover object that facilitates retention of soil moisture. She then deposits a clutch of approximately 50-150 individual eggs in the depression and coils her body over them, waiting for autumnal rains to fill the pool with water and inundate the eggs. The eggs are spherical and approximately 2-5 mm (0.08-0.20 in) in diameter, depending on their age and hydration. Each egg initially appears as a transparent capsule containing a whitish embryo in a clear, fluid matrix, but the outer membrane soon stains dark brown to black as the female moves over or turns the eggs, and soil particles stick to them. By the time a clutch of eggs is several days old, it resembles a pile of spherical mud pellets.
A marbled salamander found guarding her eggs beneath a log in a dried portion of a forested swamp in Mendon, Massachusetts.
In Massachusetts, egg deposition peaks in mid-September. Unless disturbed by a predator or other large animal (e.g., Homo sapiens), the female typically remains with her eggs until they are inundated by water or, if filling of the pool is slow to materialize, for a period of several weeks. If dryness persists, eggs are usually abandoned by mid- to late October, with dehydration of the female and/or the onset of cold temperatures being the most probable triggers. Egg mortality likely increases as wetland basins remain dry into the winter, but abandoned eggs can remain viable for a considerable period of time. Successful hatching of eggs in Massachusetts has been observed into late January.
When the pool basin does fill with water, the inundated eggs hatch within hours to a couple of days. The hatching process is triggered by hypoxia, which causes the mature embryo to release an enzyme that breaks down membranes within the egg, facilitating hatching. Hatchling larvae are active immediately and feed on zooplankton. If hatching occurs during September or October (when water temperatures are relatively warm), larvae are able to put on noticeable growth (≥50% of initial body size) before winter arrives, pools ice over, and feeding activity slows. The larval salamanders remain in their natal wetlands throughout the winter and rapidly increase their feeding activity (and growth) once ice thaws in March and water temperatures rise in April and May. At this time, the larvae feed on zooplankton, aquatic invertebrates (including mosquito larvae), and even other amphibian larvae (e.g., spotted salamander). Metamorphosis peaks during late May through early June, with some individuals or sites experiencing earlier or later dates, depending on larval density, body condition, pool hydrology, and other factors.
A larval marbled salamander at the bottom of a vernal pool in March. Note its bushy, external gills.
During metamorphosis, the larvae seek protective cover beneath leaf litter, logs, woody debris, or other objects in saturated portions of the wetland basin while they develop lungs and resorb their gills and caudal fin. Then, the newly transformed metamorphs will wait for an opportunity (typically a nocturnal rain) to leave the basin and disperse into the surrounding forest to begin their lives as terrestrial, juvenile salamanders.
Following dispersal from natal wetlands, juvenile salamanders will reside in the forest, feeding on snails, earthworms, beetles, slugs, and other small invertebrates. Upon reaching sexual maturity (1-5 years), most individuals will return to their natal wetland to breed, starting the cycle anew. Others will have sought new ground, joining a different subpopulation within a broader metapopulation, or pioneering a new population of their own. One study in Massachusetts documented a juvenile dispersal rate of approximately 9%, with some individuals eventually breeding in wetlands 914.4 m (>3,000 ft) from where they were born.
Maximum life expectancy of marbled salamander is unknown. One study in Massachusetts documented marbled salamanders surviving greater than 6 years in the wild, with average annual adult survivorship at the site approaching 65%. In comparison, modeling exercises suggested annual adult survival near 80% at a site in South Carolina. Studies of other mole salamander species suggest that marbled salamanders likely exceed 5 years of age with regularity, and some individuals may live 10 or more years. For example, a study of the related spotted salamander, using skeletochronology as an age-estimation technique, observed peak age distributions at 7 years and 15 years in a Quebec population, with a maximum observed age of 32 years. A monitoring project in Maine documented a blue-spotted salamander (unisexual form) that was at least 12 years old. A 5-year study of salamanders at a breeding pond in Massachusetts observed age ranges of 2-8 years (mean 3.7 years) in blue-spotted salamander and 2-10 years (mean 5.2 years) in spotted salamander.
Distribution and abundance
Marbled salamander ranges from southern New England south to northern Florida and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma. Disjunct populations occur in southwestern Missouri, northern Indiana, southwestern Michigan, northern Ohio, and northwestern Pennsylvania. Within Massachusetts, marbled salamander is distributed primarily among parts of Bristol, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Norfolk, and Worcester counties. Only several populations are known from Middlesex and Plymouth counties, and a disjunct population occurs in Berkshire County. As of January 2025, approximately 95 local populations had been documented among 61 towns between 2000 and 2024.
Distribution in Massachusetts.
2000-2024
Based on records in the Natural Heritage Database.
Population status
Marbled salamander is legally protected and listed as threatened pursuant to the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (M.G.L. c. 131A) and implementing regulations (321 CMR 10.00). Massachusetts is near the northern limit of the geographic range of the species, and most local populations in the state are relatively small. Adult survivorship appears critical to population persistence, especially at sites where reproductive output is low, or reproductive failures are common. Failures of surveys to reconfirm presence of the species at sites of previously recorded occurrence suggest a possibility of 10 or more local population extirpations during the past several decades.
Habitat
Adult and juvenile marbled salamanders inhabit relatively mature deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests and woodlands. Elevation and forest type vary greatly among local populations across Massachusetts, but dry sites seem to be preferred. Breeding and larval habitat is highly variable, consisting of forested swamps, isolated shrub swamps, seasonal pools, fishless ponds, and even anthropogenic basins (abandoned quarry pits, borrow pits, sand-and-gravel mining depressions) that fill with water seasonally. Observed breeding wetlands across the state vary markedly in their surface areas, depths, bottom substrates, and/or densities and composition of vegetation. However, there are three consistent characteristics of those habitats – they almost always are fishless, occur within or adjacent to forests, and hold water continuously during a minimum period of January-May (more commonly November-June). Most breeding wetlands dry completely or substantially during the summer, and many have variable microtopography (e.g., at least one relatively deep sub-basin adjacent to flat or gently-sloped “shelves” of intermediate depth).
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Some types of marbled salamander breeding habitat in Massachusetts include small, seasonal pools (upper left); large, open ponds with semipermanent hydroperiod (upper right); forested swamps (lower left); and even abandoned farm ponds or borrow pits (lower right). Images by: The upper left photo is by Lori Johnson; the remaining 3 photos are by Kubel.
In the terrestrial environment, trademarks of good-quality microhabitat for adult and juvenile marbled salamanders include well-developed leaf litter, abundant coarse woody debris, non-compacted soils, predominantly closed-canopy tree cover, and abundant rodent tunnels. Some sites occupied by the species also contain rock outcrops. Most adult individuals reside within several hundred meters of their breeding wetland. Research suggests that the local distribution of mole salamanders around a breeding site may be influenced by habitat integrity, with salamanders residing closer to a wetland (on average) in intact forest but occupying areas farther from the wetland when a forest patch is fragmented (e.g., by development). Of course, variability in the distribution of high-quality microhabitat around a breeding site is also likely to influence the distribution of individual salamanders around the wetland.
As with other mole salamanders, local populations of marbled salamander occur in varying complexity on the landscape. At one end of the spectrum, a resident population is distributed around and dependent upon a single breeding wetland within an isolated patch of forest (i.e., there is no emigration to or immigration from other populations). However, at the other end of the spectrum, multiple subpopulations occur as an interactive network (or metapopulation) across an extensive area of forest containing a multitude of breeding wetlands. Each so-called subpopulation consists mainly of resident juvenile and adult salamanders permanently inhabiting the forest area within several hundred meters of the breeding wetland in which they were born and at which they will subsequently breed. However, some individuals from a given subpopulation disperse away from the breeding site, emigrating to a different subpopulation (and its breeding site), recolonizing the area of an extirpated subpopulation, or pioneering an entirely new subpopulation. Hence, the land areas between and among active and prospective breeding sites provide important dispersal habitat for marbled salamander, allowing individuals to move among subpopulations. Generally, upland forest is the preferred dispersal habitat, and the most critical element is that it does not contain major barriers to salamander movement (e.g., vast open areas, extensive vertical structures, roads with high nightly traffic volume). Dispersal habitat is key to the maintenance of metapopulations and the ecological benefits that metapopulation dynamics confer to long-term population viability in the face of environmental and other stressors.
Threats
Primary threats to marbled salamander in Massachusetts are habitat loss, habitat degradation, habitat isolation, climate change, anthropogenic mortality and disturbance, and disease. These threats may act alone or in combination to cause direct, indirect, and/or cumulative impacts to a given population.
Habitat Loss
The most common types of habitat loss are the clearing of forests and woodlands and the filling (or ditching) of breeding pools for residential, commercial, industrial, mining, or agricultural development. marbled salamanders depend on both upland forest and wetlands to complete their life cycle, and so substantial loss of either habitat at a site can cause a local population extinction. Habitat loss at smaller scales may disrupt metapopulation dynamics, reduce population size, or otherwise weaken long-term population viability.
Habitat Degradation
Habitat degradation has many forms. Roads, railways, and the various other types of development fragment habitat, creating gaps in the forest and impeding or otherwise disrupting salamander migration and/or dispersal. These open areas present increased risks of salamander desiccation and predation, or they increase travel distances and times for individuals that attempt to go around rather than through such a gap or obstacle en route to a destination (e.g., a breeding wetland). Runoff from roads, parking lots, lawns, crop fields, and other areas introduces chemicals (e.g., petroleum, deicing salts, fertilizers, pesticides) and/or sediments to breeding wetlands, potentially disrupting or inhibiting embryonic development or larval growth and survival. Environmental acidification (acute and chronic) threatens amphibian reproduction in aquatic habitats and may even slow or impede growth in terrestrial habitats. Logging operations disrupt forest ecology (e.g., compact soils, reduce leaf litter, introduce or trigger growth of non-native, invasive vegetation) and, when performed carelessly, create avenues for sediment-laden runoff to enter breeding wetlands. Excessive trail densities for recreational activities (hiking, biking, horseback riding, dog-walking) degrade habitat by removing leaf litter, compacting or eroding soils, reducing and/or interrupting rodent tunnels, and facilitating unnatural introduction and accumulation of nutrients. Direct dumping of refuse (tires, batteries, oil filters, paint cans, etc.) and yard waste into breeding wetlands is another common form of habitat degradation.
Habitat Isolation
When habitat loss and fragmentation result in local populations of marbled salamander becoming isolated (i.e., potential for immigration is eliminated), they lose the benefits of metapopulation dynamics. In particular, “rescue effect” – the principle of dispersing individuals recolonizing the site of an extirpated subpopulation, thereby “rescuing” the subpopulation and bolstering the broader metapopulation – becomes an impossibility. Furthermore, population isolation can lead to declines in genetic diversity within the population. Metapopulations, due to the connectedness and genetic diversity of their subpopulations, are considered more resistant to environmental change and more resilient in response to local extinctions. Therefore, metapopulations are generally more viable than isolated populations, and habitat isolation might explain some of the apparent marbled salamander population extirpations observed in Massachusetts during the past several decades.
Climate Change
A 2024 synthesis of climate data, climate modeling, and climate-related research indicates that temperature, total annual precipitation, and frequency of heavy precipitation events are trending upward in the northeastern United States and are expected to continue to do so into the future. A warming and wetting trend might intuitively suggest potential benefits to amphibians, especially to “southern” species, like marbled salamander, whose populations in Massachusetts are near the northern limits of the species’ geographic range. Furthermore, the timing, frequency, and intensity of precipitation events are important considerations in evaluating the potential impacts of climate change.
Climate data indicate that the Northeast is experiencing wetter summers and falls and drier winters and springs. Such a shift in precipitation patterns threatens the viability of marbled salamander breeding habitat, as many wetlands may fill with water prior to the breeding season, leaving females with few opportunities to deposit eggs. Indeed, reduced productivity has seemed evident across Massachusetts several times since 2008, and with many populations being small and/or isolated, an increase in the frequency of poor reproductive years going forward could threaten such populations with extinction. Drier winters and springs are also a concern. Reduced water volumes during spring may increase larval density and competition, thereby reducing growth rates, and early drying of wetlands kills salamander larvae before they can complete metamorphosis. Hence, climate change could act as a form of habitat degradation for marbled salamander by impacting wetland functions and consequently reducing the stability of smaller populations, weakening metapopulations, and facilitating declines.
Anthropogenic Mortality
Like other amphibians, marbled salamander is susceptible to direct mortality at the hands of Homo sapiens. Marbled salamanders are slow-moving and often need to cross over roads to reach breeding sites and/or disperse into suitable terrestrial habitats. Where populations occur near roads with high nightly traffic volumes, adult and juvenile salamanders are undoubtedly killed by automobiles annually. Increases in automobile traffic over time may tip the scales at some sites and send local populations into continual decline. In extreme cases, perpetually high rates of mortality could result in extinction of a local population.
At a smaller scale, marbled salamanders are vulnerable to mortality via operation of logging equipment during the breeding migration and juvenile dispersal seasons, when individuals are most likely to be beneath cover objects on the forest floor. Other forms of off-road vehicle operation, especially through breeding pools, may kill, injure, or disturb salamanders. Overzealous recreationists, researchers, and educators searching for marbled salamanders beneath cover objects or working in vernal pools disturb microhabitats, may cause females to abandon eggs, and may injure larvae. Marbled salamanders also fall victim to in-ground swimming pools each summer, falling in during overland movements and drowning. Even if pools are equipped with exit ramps, salamander survival following exposure to chlorinated water is probably low.
Disease
Infectious disease has been a significant contributor to global amphibian declines over the past several decades, but impacts in Massachusetts and other parts of New England are not entirely clear.
The amphibian chytrid, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which is believed to have originated in Asia and spread globally via the pet trade, is a fungal pathogen now prevalent throughout Massachusetts. It is widely blamed for amphibian population declines and extinctions in some parts of the world, but the degree to which it is affecting growth, productivity, and survival in marbled salamanders is not known. Generally, the lethality of Bd infection in amphibians is variable, and some individuals do clear infection, but researchers suspect Bd is a common stressor and contributing source of individual mortality in many amphibian populations of Massachusetts.
The related salamander chytrid, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) – another Asian fungus that is believed to have spread via the pet trade – has yet to be detected in the wild in North America but has devastated populations of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) in Europe. Ambystomatid salamanders appear to be resistant to Bsal infection, though some species in the genus have been shown to be capable carriers. If (or when) Bsal eventually invades the U.S., direct impacts to marbled salamander are expected to be minimal, though high mortality rates in co-occurring amphibian populations could disrupt community ecology and impact marbled salamanders indirectly.
A third major amphibian disease of concern is the group of viruses known as ranaviruses (family Iridoviridae). Like Bd, ranaviruses are believed to have contributed significantly to global amphibian declines. Ranaviruses are established in Massachusetts and are one of the first suspects when people encounter mass mortality of mature amphibian larvae at vernal pools. Multiple common amphibian species in Massachusetts are carriers and effective spreaders of ranaviruses, and so introductions and outbreaks at marbled salamander breeding sites appear to be unavoidable. Sustained or repeated outbreaks at a given breeding site could threaten the local population of marbled salamander with reduced productivity and, therefore, long-term decline.
Conservation Action Plan
Some prospective conservation measures for marbled salamander in Massachusetts may be grouped into three general categories: inventory and monitoring, management, and research. MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) is the state authority for coordinating and implementing such measures, often in collaboration with other agencies, academic institutions, land trusts, municipal conservation departments, private-sector herpetologists, and others. The NHESP also facilitates participation by the general public.
Inventory and Monitoring
Inventory surveys are essential to discovering undocumented populations or subpopulations of marbled salamander on the Massachusetts landscape and to evaluating the relative robustness of each. Knowledge about population abundance and distribution is prerequisite to understanding the conservation status of the species and to making informed decisions about how and where to invest scarce conservation resources for implementation of management strategies. The NHESP, its collaborators, and the public have made strong gains in documenting populations of marbled salamander and understanding the state distribution of the species over the past several decades, but undoubtedly there are additional populations to be found and evaluated.
Periodic monitoring surveys are necessary to stay informed about population statuses over time. These surveys provide insight about the effectiveness of certain management strategies, and they serve to detect site-specific threats or signs of population decline or extirpation.
Management
At a local scale, sites of known occurrence of marbled salamander should be managed to develop or maintain mature forest conditions within approximately 1,000 feet of confirmed and potential breeding wetlands. Such management should aim to minimize forest loss/fragmentation, road traffic, recreational trail density, soil compaction, and introduction/growth of invasive, non-native vegetation. Forest type should be maintained as deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous. Fallen trees, branches, leaves, and other detritus should be allowed to accumulate on the forest floor. Hydrology of breeding wetlands should not be altered in ways that might reduce hydroperiod within the October through June time period. Breeding wetlands should be protected from chemical pollution, and basin structure should not be altered without special permits from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and/or the Department of Environmental Protection. Breeding wetlands should not be filled or used for dumping of yard waste or refuse.
At the landscape scale, land area of mature upland forest between local populations (or subpopulations) of marbled salamander should be maximized to maintain dispersal corridors and, therefore, facilitate genetic exchange among subpopulations and/or recolonization of formerly occupied habitat. Land acquisition and protection efforts for maintaining habitat connectivity should prioritize areas with low road densities and traffic volumes. A land-protection strategy may best serve long-term persistence of local populations where they occupy relatively large, connected areas containing abundant breeding habitats. However, lands supporting small, peripheral, or isolated populations are also worth protecting for maintenance of genetic diversity at the state level.
Stronger controls are needed to guard against the introduction and spread of amphibian pathogens and infectious disease. For example, possession of and commerce in amphibian species that are listed as Injurious Wildlife by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to disease concerns should be regulated at both the federal and state levels. In the natural environment, field biologists, researchers, anglers, and others that enter aquatic habitats should adopt and promote appropriate equipment-sanitation procedures between sites, especially when activities span wide geographic areas. A statewide wetland monitoring program that includes non-invasive sampling for pathogens (e.g., Bd, Bsal, ranavirus) and surveillance for amphibian die-offs is needed.
Active management of marbled salamanders and their habitats is not a common practice. Past endeavors to create or augment breeding habitat have not been found to produce positive results. However, using silviculture to favor growth of deciduous broadleaf tree species, and especially mast-producing species, may be a means to improve terrestrial habitat at some marbled salamander sites by encouraging litter development and higher rodent densities. Removal and control of non-native trees, shrubs, and vines is assumed to benefit the species by facilitating maintenance or restoration of a native community ecology, especially as it pertains to leaf litter, soil chemistry, and invertebrate prey.
Research
Research is necessary to help fill or improve upon knowledge gaps that might otherwise limit the effectiveness of current practices in conservation planning and management. We will never know “everything” about marbled salamander, but some general topics of conservation research interest include:
- Trends in vernal pool hydrological regimes, climate change, and salamander breeding phenology;
- Susceptibility of marbled salamander to amphibian chytrid (Bd) and ranaviruses;
- Trends in environmental acidity at marbled salamander breeding sites;
- Relative value of sphagnum-dominated wetlands as breeding habitat; and
- Effects of high deer densities on vernal pool ecology and potential for impacts to marbled salamander productivity.
Community Participation
The general public is encouraged to participate in the conservation of marbled salamander in several ways. For example, observations of marbled salamanders should be reported to the NHESP, as land-protection efforts for the species are dependent on knowing where local populations occur. Collection and submission of data for the certification of vernal pool habitat is another beneficial action, as it will afford certain legal protections to salamander habitat. The Massachusetts community may also provide important information by reporting observations of mass amphibian mortality at vernal pools and other wetlands. All Massachusetts residents are urged to be mindful of the weather, plan ahead, and attempt to minimize the number of times they drive through forested landscapes on rainy nights during spring and summer (i.e., when salamanders are most likely to be on the move and attempting to cross over roadways).
Private landowners in areas of marbled salamander habitat are encouraged to manage their properties in ways that minimize harm to a local population. Some general measures include maximizing the retention of native tree cover and leaf litter, minimizing landscaping, avoiding use of fertilizers and pesticides, and leaving vernal pools undisturbed (i.e., keeping dogs out during the spring, not removing fallen branches or leaf litter, not dumping yard waste in the basin). Landowners may also help to maintain salamander habitat by removing or controlling non-native trees, shrubs, and vines on the property. Another beneficial practice is to maintain vertical guards around window wells and in-ground swimming pools to ensure migrating or dispersing salamanders cannot fall in accidentally. Conversely, landowners are encouraged to identify other potential barriers to salamander movement (e.g., stonewalls lacking holes or gaps, fences flush with the ground) and do what they can to create openings or gaps to allow salamander passage. Making one’s property “salamander friendly” is one of the best ways for residents to participate in conservation of marbled salamander and other species.
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| Date published: | March 31, 2025 |
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