Reproduction

How does the Red Salamander produce its young?

Both the male and female will have multiple partners during the breeding season. Breeding may occur year round though a short pause over winter is common.

Males deposit a spermatophore once they have found a suitable mate and work to position her over it. She will pick it up in her cloaca and the two then separate with the male having no further involvement with the young.

Observations have been made of males courting other males which causes them to release their spermatophore which is then wasted. This increases the chances the other male will successfully mate.

Females will deposit up to 70 eggs individually under a log or rock and occasionally in the water.

Young hatch in to a larvae in early winter. They will spend the next 2-3 years living in a small stream in this form. Those in coastal areas tend to have shorter larval stages than those in mountainous areas. As a larvae they feed on aquatic invertebrates.

They will undertake their metamorphosis from a larva to an adult salamander between April and November.

Sexual maturity is tied to length and is reached between 5.3 and 6.3cm (2-2.5in) for males and 5.5 and 6.8cm (2.2-2.7in) for females. This tends to occur between 4 and 5 years old.

Behavior

What does the Red Salamander do with its day?

Red salamanders are considered nocturnal and will emerge at night to find food. They are especially active during or after periods of rain.

They spend winters underground.

These animals are ectothermic and rely on the surrounding environment to maintain their body temperature.

Credit: Brian.gratwicke, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Predators and Threats

What is impacting the survival of the Red Salamander?

Natural predators of the red salamander include skunks, fish, snakes, racoons and birds or prey.

When threatened by a predator the red salamander will wave its tail above its body.

It is thought that as they resemble the toxic eastern newt juvenile they may be protected from being eaten. Glands on their body also produce their own toxic secretion which can protect them.

The population of red salamanders is currently believed to be secure. They face threats including deforestation, acid draining in to their waterways, stream siltation and pollution.

Many subpopulations are already considered extinct but the species is considered secure overall.

In their environment they act as an indicator species as they are sensitive to pollution and will indicate their presence before it begins to affect larger animals.

When highways are built in their environment it often causes habitat fragmentation as they rarely successfully cross roadways without being hit by a vehicle.

Quick facts

They are the official state salamander of Virginia.

Their species name ruber is taken from the Latin word for "red."