Southern Two-Lined Salamander, larva

Description:

TINY! Photographed in a bottle cap. Translucent tannish/brownish. Underbelly opaque light yellow. External gills visible. No toes on hind feet yet. Camouflaged well for muddy creekbed. Swims quickly.

Habitat:

Creek in woods, in a still, shady pool. Bottom is very silty with layers of dead leaves. Lots of rocks, sticks, and other debris for salamanders to hide. (After this photo shoot, I carefully returned the little guy/gal to the exact spot where I found it. It was not injured in any way.)

Notes:

I found an adult of this species, which I think is a female, about a yard away on the same day. Maybe that's this little one's mother.