The mole salamander (Ambystoma talpoidea), was encountered at Caw Caw county park, underneath a damp log, just off of the main trail. This animal was about 3 inches in size, and was identified easily by the large flattened head and robust body, with speckling of gray on the sides and stomach. These animals possess a 4-5 digitation scheme, and are nocturnal, burrowing during the day, and coming out at night to travel and feed. These animals are facultatively metamorphic, meaning that they have the ability to "decide" to retain paedomorphic traits and remain aquatic like their larval forms, or reduce these traits and become terrestrial. The animal found in Caw Caw county park, had a swollen cloaca, which is representative of male mole salamanders. The animal also had metamorphic traits, and did not retain external gills, and had eyelids. I was very surprised to find this salamander so quickly, seemingly the first or second log that I had overturned held him, and was the only amphibian I ended up catching the rest of the afternoon. This is the first time that I have caught a mole salamander, and hope I get lucky enough to find one again.
Pertinent References:Ryan, T. J. and G. R. Plague. 2004. Hatching asynchrony, survival, and the fitness of alternative adult morphs in Ambystoma talpoideum. Oecologia 140:46-51.
1 comment:
Great find!
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