Spotted Salamander

Description:

About 6 inches in length. Black body with lighter-colored underbelly. Yellow spots along entire back, from head to tail.

Habitat:

Found within a ditch located between a rural road and a wet deciduous forest. The ditch was filled with water, 1 to 4 feet deep. The water was murky and full of forest debris. The salamander was found at 8:30 pm, temperature in the low 40s F.

Notes:

Within a 60 foot stretch of the ditch, 30 spotted salamanders were found. About the same number of salamander egg clusters were also found.