Marbled Salamander Identification Sines

Kevin mcgarigal associate professor and director of landscape ecology program department of natural resources.

Marbled salamander identification sines.

These crossbands vary in shape and also in color from silver white to gray. Light bands on shiny dark background. It s okay to check multiple boxes. A small stout salamander with silvery or white saddle shaped marks on its body from head to tail.

Males are typically smaller than females and during the breeding season their silvery white crossbands become bright white. Discover life s page about the biology natural history ecology identification and distribution of discover life answer one or more questions on right by clicking checkboxes. Having an overall dark gray or black body the marbled salamander gets its name from the 4 7 white or gray bands crossing its back and sides often forming a marble pattern. Eastern tiger salamander ambystoma tigrinum length.

The plain belly is also black. It is closely related to the spotted blue spotted and jefferson salamanders. At 4 5 inches long it is shorter. The crossbands are grey in females white in males.

Marbled salamander ambystoma opacum conservationplan for massachusetts september 1 2008 prepared by. Identification these are fairly large stout black salamanders with wide silver or white bands. Identification the marbled salamander is a mole salamander. Giving rise to its name the marbled salamander is covered head to tail across is back in striking white to silver crossbands on a field that is otherwise black or dark gray.

Like most mole salamanders it is relatively thick bodied. Marbled salamanders are sexually dimorphic and dichromatic meaning that males and females are shaped and colored differently. Markings tend to be gray in females white in males. Marbled salamander ambystoma opacum 127mm 5in a stocky mole salamander stays underground most of the time.

The back is generally shiny jet black while the belly is. Then click any search.