Southern Two-Lined Salamander

on Feb 12,2009 it was sunny and and about 45-50 degrees F. I can across a two Eurycea cirrigera. I found them in some very muddy leaf litter that was on the bank of a creek in Bachelor Woods of Oxford Ohio. They were found in very close proximity of eachother only about a couple inches apart, one was about 3 and half inches long and the other was considerable smaller only about a inch and a half long. The southern two-lined salamander is very common in Ohio and throughout their range, they spend the winter in or near streams and in southern Ohio they typically breed near the end of March a beginning of April. Their reproduction is strictly aquatic. They remain in their larva stage for up to 3 years, in their adult form they are semi-aquatic and can be found near many bodies of water, the southern two-lined salamanders are considered to be territorial so it a little odd that I found two so close together. The adult southern two-lined salamander feeds on small arthropods, and they are able of shedding their tail to escape predators this is interesting because the small specimen i caught appeared to be miss part of it tail.

-Justin Taylor-