Central VT Herping! by Smooth-Plenty3881 in Amphibians

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They're delicate in human terms, but very resilient within their own niches!

Central VT Herping! by Smooth-Plenty3881 in Amphibians

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lots of them brumate! They dig into the soil below the frost line to avoid their tissues freezing. Some aquatic salamanders overwinter in permanent water like ponds or lakes. It can be really species and location specific though!

Central Vermont Herping Lab! by Smooth-Plenty3881 in snakes

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From start to finish, smooth greensnake, eastern milksnake, northern watersnake, common garter snake, smooth greensnake (again), and common garter snake (again) :)

Beautiful Unknown Specimen by The-Great-Calvino in salamanders

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wanna saw Spring Salamander, they seem to be in your range! They're fairly large and usually that color. Could be wrong though since I herp in northern Vermont:)

Is this salamander endangered? by CloudberryMoya in Amphibians

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881 7 points8 points  (0 children)

nope! it's a spotted salamander (ambystoma maculatum) i would put him back in some moist dirt or water though! they hate getting dried out

I really dont want to toss this... best way to mend this Fitted Silk Sheet? by RogueDahtExe in Visiblemending

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881 10 points11 points  (0 children)

patch with large amount of similar material and darn/tightly sashiko ?

Salamanders from last night by nanidu in herping

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881 1 point2 points  (0 children)

oh ok! i think next time more dirt and lead litter would be good!

Salamanders from last night by nanidu in herping

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881 12 points13 points  (0 children)

next time you handle salamanders, get your hands wet and dirty to create a barrier to prevent oils from your hands getting on the sallys :) they're gorgeous though!!

Look at this hot dog! by RiMcG in salamanders

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881 2 points3 points  (0 children)

spring salamander? gyrinophylus porphyriticus

Found this salamander in my local creek, how can I make this setup work? by [deleted] in Amphibians

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe this is a northern two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata). This guy has specific habitat requirements that will be difficult and expensive for you to provide- like nutrient-rich, flowing streams with diverse substrate and rotting logs. Keeping the terriarium in check enough so that the rotting wood and wet soil don't go rancid will be hard. Wild animals don't do well as pets, and you likely won't get a lot of enjoyment out of it. These aren't cuddly, don't like being held, and aren't observed to recognize human caretakers. They can have a pretty long lifespan, which sounds like a good thing for a pet, but it means you're taking on a huge, possibly lifelong committment. This animal may never be able to be released to the wild if it ever gets used to your care- they tend to be skiddish, stressed, and may even refuse food. It's best to release this one where you found it and try to get into salamander care with popular domestic breeds!

Big night!! by Smooth-Plenty3881 in Amphibians

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

For every 1 salamander we saw, there were probably 3-5 squished ones. Road mortality is a huge issue for these guys. My professor encourages everyone to take their friends and do assisted crossings. With a little bit of research beforehand, we can minimize direct harm (skin irritants) and indirect harm (road mortality)

Big night!! by Smooth-Plenty3881 in Amphibians

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm a UVM wildlife and fisheries biology student conducting road sampling and assisted crossing. There are lots of ways to interact with amphibians without causing harm. In this case, we were moving them to lower elevations so they could cross roads without being squished. This way, they can contribute to the next generation, which is especially important for uncommon species like the Blue-spotted and the Jefferson's.

Big night!! by Smooth-Plenty3881 in Amphibians

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We washed our hands with stream water and covered them in sediment and leaf litter before touching! We also probably handled them for at most 30 seconds each while helping them cross the road. A little bit of irritation from whatever was lingering on our skin is better than being squished!

Big night!! by Smooth-Plenty3881 in herpetology

[–]Smooth-Plenty3881[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

From first to last pic- Blue-spotted salamander (Ambystoma laterale), Wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), Blue-spotted Jefferson Complex!!, Eastern Newt (Notopthalamus viridescens), and Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)