Description
The Redback Salamander is long and slender. There are two different
colour phases. The more typical is black or dark gray with a broad, straight-edged
stripe from the top of the head down the back and onto the tail. This stripe
is usually red or orange but may be yellow, pink or gray. Less common is
the "leadback" form which lacks the stripe. Both forms have black
and white mottling on the belly.
Confusing Species
The Western Redback Salamander is almost
identical but has black and white flecking on the belly rather than mottling.
It is restricted to western North America. In eastern Canada, the Mountain
Dusky Salamander can look similar but always has a pale bar from the
eye to the corner of the mouth and often has dark V's down the centre of
the back. In the Northern Two-lined Salamander
the stripe down the back always has a dark line on either side.
Distribution
The Redback Salamander is widely distributed in the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence Basin and eastern maritime states and provinces. It is found in
southern Ontario and Quebec as well as New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince
Edward Island. It is found as far south as North Carolina.
Habitat
Redback Salamanders are most commonly found in deciduous or mixed forests,
although they are sometimes found in cool moist white pine or northern
hemlock forests. They are restricted to mature woodlands with lots of fallen
logs and coarse woody debris.
Reproduction
Breeding usually occurs in the fall but may take place in the spring.
Young females breed in their third year and may only breed in alternate
years after that. From 3-13 eggs are laid in June or July in a rotting
stump or log. The female tends the eggs for six to eight weeks and the
young hatchlings for one to three weeks. When the young first hatch they
have small gills but these are soon resorbed and the young then resemble
the adults.
Natural history
Redback Salamanders defend small territories from other salamanders
and tend to wander very little. In some sites they can be extremely abundant,
outnumbering birds and small mammals. They may hibernate underground, in
the dens of small mammals or even in ant mounds.
Conservation Concerns
There is no evidence of decline in this species.
|
