[Copyright: John Jensen/Dr. Camp, USDA Forest Service]
Four-toed Salamander
Hemidactylium scutatum
Description: Small lungless slender salamander with rusty to grayish brown above with grayish sides and may have small black and bluish speckles on sides. Length is 2 to 4 in (5 to 10 cm). Unique characteristics: four-toed hind feet and tail is constricted (narrows) at its base.
Life History: Breeds in fall and lays 30-50 eggs under moss, and spawns in early March and the larvae hatch in May. The eggs are laid so that larvae fall or wriggle into shallow ponds, pools, or small, quiet streams.
Habitat: Wooded areas with pools, bogs, or slow bog streams. In leaf litter and under rocks and logs.
Distribution: Widely but discontinuously distributed throughout much of the eastern U.S.
Status: Designated as a species of "Great Conservation Need" in states of Ky., Miss., N.C., S.C., & Tenn.
Resources: NatureServe Explorer Species Profile
eNature.com Species Profile
Savannah River Ecology Lab Species Profile
Four-toed Salamander Range Map from the USGS National Amphibian Atlas
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