Red-backed Salamander

Description:

This salamander had a blackish brown body with an orange stripe down the middle of its back. It was ~4 cm long.

Habitat:

Habitat: This salamander was all curled up on top of some gray mold that was growing on rotting wood in a mixed forest.

Notes:

Red-backed salamanders exhibit color polymorphism with two common color variations - the 'red-backed' variety has a red dorsal stripe that tapers towards the tail and the 'lead-backed' variety lacks most or all of the red pigmentation. The red-backed phase is not always red, but may actually be various other colors (yellow-backed, orange-backed, or white-backed).