salamanders Archives - The Orianne Society

Southern Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus auriculatus)

6 minute read

Fieldnotes

Secretive Blackwater Salamanders

ByBen Stegenga
May 16, 2024

My first true salamander focused foray into the blackwater creek swamps of southeastern Georgia took place years ago with my friend and former colleague Jonathon Bolton. We decided to spend a Saturday exploring a small blackwater creek system. We hiked upstream along the main channel to where it became somewhat braided, and the shallow floodplain swamp spread out beneath a dense canopy of tupelo and other hardwoods.

1 minute read

Fieldnotes

Species Spotlight: The Spotted Salamander

ByBen Stegenga
March 15, 2023

Every winter we look forward to seeing our resident Spotted Salamanders as rain brings them to the surface for a couple weeks. Not only are they beautiful salamanders, but they also have fascinating life histories. In this month’s episode of Fieldnotes, Ben talks about Spotted Salamander ecology and their unique symbiotic relationship with algae.

4 minute read

Faces of the Forest

What do bullfrogs and other frogs and salamanders eat?

ByKiley Briggs
March 13, 2023

Frogs and salamanders are what’s known as “gape-limited predators”, which is a fancy way of saying the size of their mouth is the biggest factor behind what they will eat.

1 minute read

Photo of the Month

Lesser Siren

ByTracy Karplus
July 7, 2022

“Sirens are aquatic, eel-like salamanders that lack hind limbs but have fully developed front limbs…”