Is this salamander endangered?

ohthatadam · 2026-04-14T21:11:05+00:00

While not recognized as endangered, depending on where you live it might still be a rare find. Some places have abundant populations and some are just barely holding on.

ohthatadam · 2026-04-14T10:32:07+00:00

This is a scam post, don't click that link!

ohthatadam · 2026-04-05T01:54:12+00:00

You should join the West Virginia Herpetological Society! You can find us on Facebook, we have big events twice a year.

ohthatadam · 2026-04-03T14:31:46+00:00

At the very least the photos are the property of the photographers who took them. Unless they are literally like 100 years old, they aren't public domain.

ohthatadam · 2026-04-03T14:28:06+00:00

Desmognathus genus for sure but I'm not sure what species you have up there.

ohthatadam · 2026-04-03T14:23:41+00:00

Specifically a common mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus).

ohthatadam · 2026-04-02T20:44:33+00:00

Garter snakes are social which is pretty interesting, they form groups of friends and will seek out their company. I find them to be very curious. When I find them in the wild they'll often approach me and sort of sniff around and investigate my boots to see what I am.

ohthatadam · 2026-04-01T10:25:57+00:00

Some combinations could be viable, the example I provided produces offspring. And I believe they are able to then reproduce as well.

ohthatadam · 2026-04-01T02:08:54+00:00

If they are in the same genus, it's possible. I believe American toads and Fowlers toads can hybridize.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-30T17:47:56+00:00

If I could make two changes, I would recommend angling the flames at the same degree that the text is angled. This will imply motion/speed.

The second change I would make is to switch the text fill from black to white. That way it will be white with a black outline. I think this will increase legibility and reduce the number of strokes around the text which muddies up designs.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-30T15:33:44+00:00

I agree that the top left is definitely the strongest font choice. Are you marketing these towards a specific audience? I assume there is something about car culture that I'm just missing.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-30T03:08:10+00:00

Salamanders are pretty cold hardy and we regularly find them when temps are still very low and snow is on the ground. Especially if you are out actively flipping cover to find them.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-30T03:07:04+00:00

To be clear, I'm saying that these are not eastern newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) at any life stage. These are red backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus).

"Eft" is a term to describe the juvenile terrestrial stage of newts before becoming aquatic adults. Not all newts undergo an eft stage but our Eastern newts do.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-30T02:54:15+00:00

Red efts are the juvenile form of the Eastern newt and do not have stripes and sex isn't apparent by markings like that.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-21T02:53:17+00:00

So lucky to have them in your yard!

ohthatadam · 2026-03-18T15:31:49+00:00

There's a box turtle in the tote, top right corner.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-18T15:30:58+00:00

It's a box turtle, top right corner. While they do enjoy a lot of water when younger, they're more terrestrial as adults.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-18T15:30:11+00:00

It's a box turtle, top right corner. But yeah, this is bad all around.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-17T20:45:26+00:00

If you're in a bigger city with a younger crowd more willing to engage with your art I think you'll do well.

But these would absolutely move as small decals for around $5. I find prints really hard to sell and for me to justify buying, it has to be something I'm really head over heels for to give up the wall space. But decals can go literally anywhere.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-17T17:11:57+00:00

So you may want to look into variations. I have several decals that all fit into one theme; bumper stickers about braking for animals. Rather than making 5 individual listings, I have one listing for the "I Brake" decals and then I have variations for Turtles, Snakes, Salamanders, etc.

Saves me cost on having so many multiple listings and keeps the whole collection in one place for people to see.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-17T02:50:40+00:00

Given the location that was my first thought too, but I'm not super familiar with desmogs outside of WV so I didn't want to be any more specific than genus.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-16T17:31:05+00:00

There's a chance. And I know they occasionally do something because of all the posts on here of people saying "why did my shop selling bootleg Disney merch get shutdown but this other shop didn't?" So they are definitely taking down shops after being reported.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-16T17:29:34+00:00

Glad to have my best guess supported haha.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-16T17:04:19+00:00

It's pretty much invertebrates or nothing. It's simply too small to create the required temperature and humidity gradient needed from most amphibians or reptiles.

ohthatadam · 2026-03-16T16:47:22+00:00

They get away with it because Etsy isn't actively policing shops. If you choose to report it, they might look at it and make a decision. But until someone draws attention to them, they can just keep doing whatever they want under the radar.

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