Found living near vernal pools throughout almost all of Virginia, adult spotted salamanders typically measure 4.4–7.8 inches in length, are black to brown above with yellow to orange spots across their bodies, and gray underneath. Adults eat a variety of invertebrates, including earthworms, spiders, and insects.^1,2,3

Throughout most of the year, adults spend time in underground burrows or under rocks and rotting logs in the forest within 1,000 ft. of the vernal pool where they were born. They are not often seen, only coming out at night to feed. Then, on warm, rainy nights in the late winter or early spring, the adults emerge and migrate to the vernal pools to breed—usually returning to the pool where they were born!^1,2,3 Migrations typically happen in February to early March in our area!

Males migrate to the pools first and deposit gelatinous pyramids topped with sperm (called “spermatophores”) which the females will retrieve to fertilize their eggs when they arrive at the pool. Females lay up to 250 eggs in one or more gelatinous masses that help protect the eggs from predation and drying out, attaching the egg masses to sticks or stems in the water.^1,2,3

Egg masses measure 1–6” across and may be clear or white, but sometimes become green if the alga Oophila amblystomatis starts growing within the jelly. This is a symbiotic relationship from which both the salamander embryos (receiving oxygen) and alga (getting nutrients) benefit!^1,2,3

About 4–7 weeks after the eggs are laid, the larvae will hatch! The brownish larvae measure about ½” long, have prominent, feathery gills, yellow spots on their sides, and a white throat with small black dots. They eat a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates and may be eaten by turtles, predaceous diving beetles, or even other mole salamander larvae.^1,2,3

Six weeks to four months after hatching, the larvae complete their metamorphosis into juvenile spotted salamanders, which are grayish in color with less obvious spots. Juveniles may stay near the pool until fall when they migrate into the terrestrial habitat where they will live.^1,2,3

Fun fact—in the areas close to the pools where spotted salamanders live, their combined weight may exceed that of all other birds and mammals in the same area!¹

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