For the Love of Salamanders

If you drive on Brevard Road skirting the French Broad River near the North Carolina Arboretum on a rainy, late winter night you may witness a peculiar collection of headlamps peering into the wooded wetlands. In the glow of their lights, you realize there are people in muck boots and adorned with reflective vests. They seem to be huddled together staring at the same small object. What could possibly bring a group of people together late in evening in the woods in such frigid, wet conditions?

For the love of salamanders.

And that small object is the common though hardly seen mole salamander species, Ambystoma talpoideum. 

Late each winter thousands of mole salamanders (genus Ambystoma, "blunt mouth") along the east coast brave roads and predators to their annual breeding pools. They're some of the first in the amphibian world to arouse from winter chambers, maybe second to the wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus).  There are several species of mole salamanders, and for two nights last winter I joined a wildlife biologist and several volunteers to look for three of these species. It was below 45 degrees. It absolutely poured. I was exhausted afterward. I had the absolute time of my life.

Photo of Pseudotriton ruber by Nick Sawinski
at Pink Beds BioBlitz 2016

Salamanders are crucial in research because they are reliable bioindicators. The status of salamander populations around the world, especially when studied long term, can tell stories regarding the environmental conditions of ecosystems. This is due to their reliance on clean, healthy ecosystems for their chance to reproduce and survive. Respirating through their skin, salamanders thrive in humid, cool conditions. Some salamanders breathe almost exclusively through their skin, and have actually lost the use of their lungs completely. If this doesn't impress you, hold your breath and make a conscious effort to pass oxygen molecules through your skin and absorb them into your bloodstream. This is why they require clean air.

Not surprisingly many people assume all salamanders solely dwell in aquatic environments. This is a drastic oversimplification of the oodles of life histories the hundreds of species of salamanders across the globe undergo. We all learn in school that the life cycle of an amphibian is as follows: lay eggs in water → they hatch into their larval form with attached gills → they metamorph into adults. The truth of the matter is that not all amphibians require aquatic environments to lay their eggs, though this is what we commonly discover in springtime. Salamander eggs need a moist to wet environment. These include ponds, under creek rocks, rotting logs, in rock crevices, leaf litter, the list continues. The diversity of habitat options correlates with the diversity of a population in the area, but moisture is crucial. This is why they need clean water, non-acidic rain.

Green salamander peeking out
 from its winter crevice

Some species live in a variety of ecosystems throughout their life cylce, like my spirit salamander the Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus). The Green Salamanders live in rock crevices during the winter where they lay and guard their eggs until springtime when they move into the trees. The beloved Red-Spotted Newts are born in ponds, leave the water and live as a juvenile, terrestrial Red Eft for several years, and return to their same ponds as aquatic adults to reproduce.  This why salamanders need ecosystems that are in tact and minimally impacted by humans actions.

But what is it about salamanders that have so many of us cooing over them as soon as a the log or creek rock is lifted, revealing a slender body, long tail, four legs and endearing eyes? What sort of mystery dust is sprinkled over me every time I admire a Plethodon's whimsical smile, soft bulging eyes, and pudgy cheeks? I don't think over 160 million years of evolution favored "cuteness" for their survival. In today's time their ability to make us say, "Awwww," may be the quality that saves salamanders from losses due to habitat destruction, diseases, and environmental changes.

When there are proposed road widening projects in places that would take away important breeding habitats. When conservationists say we need to find a cure for chytrid, which has decimated amphibian populations. When community members and agencies ask that you limit your impact when recreating outdoors. The capacity of a salamander to fill hearts with pure adorable warmth will be their champion.

If you'd like to learn more scientific facts regarding salamanders, check out this Scientific American blog post.

Who to follow for amphibian conservation: Amphibian Foundation. Follow their Instagram for such an endless supply of frog and salamander photos. This is an all-around class A organization working to educate the public on threats to amphibian populations and engage in some much needed research. Also, The Orianne Society. All the herps! I love these guys, the work they do, and the conservation practices they promote.

What I'm listening to: Mindscape by Sean Carroll. Sean's curious desire to learn about topics outside of his physics background is contagious. These episodes also serve as unintentional How-To's for having productive conversations on subjects we are unfamiliar with, and with ideas that we may not agree with.

Photo of Notophthalmus viridescens by Kevin Fitzpatrick, All Species Photography, at Pink Beds BioBlitz 2018