The Blue-Spotted Salamander is an amphibian that is long, has a long tail and a very skinny body. They have long toes and are called Blue-Spotted Salamander because they are known to have white and blue spots on the sides of their bodies, their bellies, legs and backs.
What Makes a Blue-Spotted Salamander Stand Out?
The Blue-Spotted Salamander is easy to see because it has a black or light belly but their blue spots help to distinguish them from other salamanders.
Size of the Blue-Spotted Salamander
The Blue-Spotted Salamander is around 8-14 centimeters and their body is long and skinny. They have four feet and long toes with their front feet having four toes and their back feet having five toes.
Most of the time, the male Blue-Spotted Salamander is smaller than the female but they have longer tails that are flat.
Where Does the Blue-Spotted Salamander Live?
The Blue-Spotted Salamander lives in areas where there are forests or woodlands. They like to live close to places that have fresh water and also places that are full of leaves, sticks, logs or other places that they can hide from their predators.
During the warm months, they like to be above ground, but they don’t like to be directly in the sun. So during the day, they will spend their time hiding under brush or other things for protection. They also like to be in forests that are damp and will be found there during summer months.
The Blue-Spotted Salamander has been seen all over New England and in parts of the Atlantic Provinces. They are also found close to the Great Lakes and in Manitoba and Ontario.
Behavior of the Blue-Spotted Salamander
The Blue-Spotted Salamander is nocturnal which mean that they are most active during the nighttime. During this time, they go around hunting and looking for food.
After it rains, most Blue-Spotted Salamanders will be seen hunting along the floor of the forest and since they are so small, they are have an easy time to hide.
Protection
The Blue-Spotted Salamander is small so it has an easier time hiding. They also have blue spots which help them to not be outlined when they are hiding and helps to camouflage them more. Their tail has a way to make a milky liquid that is toxic and the Blue-Spotted Salamander lets this come out when it feels that it is being threatened.
The Blue-Spotted Salamander will lift up its tail when its scared and when it is attacked, it will squirt the liquid into its predators mouth.
What Do Blue-Spotted Salamanders Eat?
The Blue-Spotted Salamander is a carnivore which means it eats animals. The adult Blue-Spotted Salamander will be seen eating things such as spiders, snails, worms, and other insects that do not have bones.
The small salamander will eat plants, water fleas, insect eggs and mosquito eggs. The Blue-Spotted Salamander hunts much of its food under leaves that are on the forest floor.
If a Blue-Spotted Salamander is a pet, it will get fed one earthworm a week.
Are Blue-Spotted Salamanders Important?
Blue-Spotted Salamanders are important because they help to control he mosquito population.
Are Blue-Spotted Salamanders in Danger?
In many states, the Blue-Spotted Salamander is becoming less and less because of forests being cut down and wetlands being destroyed. Michigan is the only state that Blue-Spotted Salamanders are common.
Facts About the Blue-Spotted Salamander:
- The Blue-Spotted Salamander can breed with different salamanders including the Tiger Salamander and the Jefferson Salamander. When this happens, it makes a hybrid type of salamander.
- A Blue-Spotted Salamander becomes an adult at two years old.
- It takes a month for Blue-Spotted Salamander eggs to hatch.
- The Blue-Spotted Salamander is different from other salamanders because it is found above ground in the warmer months.
- When a salamander is small, they have tails, fins and gills to live in the water.
- When a salamander gets its lungs, it leaves the water.
What Did You Learn?
- What is the Blue-Spotted Salamander? The Blue-Spotted Salamander is an amphibian that is known because of its blue spots that are found all over its body.
- Where does the Blue-Spotted Salamander live? The Blue-Spotted Salamander lives in places close to water or in the forest. They survive with water and with areas that have places that they can live and hide such under bushes or piles of leaves.
- What do Blue-Spotted Salamander eat? Blue-Spotted salamander are carnivores which means they eat meat. They eat most insects that don’t have back bones.
- What does it mean that a Blue-Spotted Salamander is nocturnal? Being nocturnal means that it is mostly active during the night.
- Are Blue-Spotted Salamander in danger? There are less and less Blue-Spotted Salamander that are found because of forests and wetlands being destroyed.