redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus)

Back on Thursday, April 2nd, our class took a trip to Reily, Ohio. We were walking down the river, where we weren't finding much, then we decided to explore the surrounding areas. It was then that we started to find a lot of interesting things. We found some salamander eggs and various types of salamanders, including these redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus). We were all walking through the forested area near the water and these guys could be seen after turning over logs. All we had to do was walk to a log and turn it over and usually you could see at least a couple of redback salamanders under each one. So, needless to say, we caught quite a few of them that day. Redback salamanders usually come in either a redback or leadback variation, both having black and white bellies. They live in forested habitats, where they are found under logs, leaf litter, or rocks. They can be 2.5 - 4 inches in length and have 17 to 22 costal grooves. They are considered the most common woodland salamander in the Great Lakes region. Redback salamanders range from southern Quebec south to North Carolina and west to Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan and in parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Cliff Griffen
Miami University