wes_von_papineäu
Our Roving Correspondent
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2006
- Messages
- 494
- Reaction score
- 10
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Vancouver, British Columbia
- Country
- Canada
- Display Name
- Wes von Papineäu
TIMES RECORDER (Zanesville, Ohio) 18 February 08 The Salamanders are coming! (Nicole Hafer is the education specialist for the Muskingum Soil & Water Conservation District and can be reached at 454-2027)
It probably seems ridiculous to be thinking of salamanders when it's 20 degrees outside, but as we all long for spring I eagerly anticipate their arrival. For those of you who may not have read my articles before, I'm really into amphibians. Because salamanders are cold blooded, they spend the cold, snowy Ohio winter hibernating underground.
Then, on warm, rainy March nights something amazing happens and they seem to magically appear. Driven from the ground by the warm rain, many species of salamanders migrate in large numbers down from their hibernation sites in the hills to the ponds, marshes and wetlands below. They are looking for safe places to mate and lay their eggs. Most of us are completely unaware of this frenzy of activity, because salamanders are nocturnal and most normal people stay in on rainy March nights. Not me. March 15, 2007 was the first time I was privileged enough to witness this mass migration and it was something. We found six of Ohio's 26 species of salamanders on that night numbering about 30 individuals. The species we found belong to the mole salamander family and are only seen in early spring.
Salamanders are a fascinating group of amphibians. Like all other amphibians, they go through a metamorphosis from egg to larva to adult. During the larva stage, all salamanders have gills and thus must stay in the water, but as they complete their life cycle, many loose the gills and grow lungs for life on land. Most are also capable of absorbing oxygen directly through their skin. Most salamanders in Ohio belong to either the lungless salamander family or the mole salamander family. There are two completely aquatic species of salamanders in our state, the mudpuppy and the endangered hellbender. Both species require large, swift moving streams of excellent water quality. The mudpuppy never undergoes complete metamorphosis and retains its gills throughout its life. The hellbender is the largest amphibian in Ohio. Unlike the mudpuppy, its does not have external gills, but small gill slits on the side of its neck. It is a state endangered species.
Another unique amphibian found locally is the red spotted newt. This amphibian takes metamorphosis to an entirely new level. Three to four months after the eggs hatch, the larva develop lungs and begin life on land as the red eft. For the next 2-3 years, this little orange salamander forages for insects on the forest floor. A toxic substance in their skin protects them from predators. During their third year of life, the red eft undergoes another metamorphosis, its skin changes to olive green, the tail becomes wedge shaped (for swimming) and it returns to the water to breed and stays there the rest of its life as a mature red-spotted newt.
The largest terrestrial salamander in Ohio is the eastern tiger salamander. These mole salamanders, although seldom seen can grow to lengths of nearly nine inches. The tiger salamander we use in our education program is already eight inches long.
Because salamanders are nocturnal, voiceless and shy, many of us never get to see the vast variety of colors and sizes these animals exhibit. Their secretive nature makes them difficult for biologists to study and the population of nearly all Ohio salamanders is unknown. Like their frog cousins, their numbers are on the decline due to habitat destruction and pollution of the waters needed for reproduction. Many are killed trying to cross roads to reach their mating grounds, which they return to year after year in large numbers. Amphibians, like all living things play a vital role in the ecosystems they inhabit. They eat forest insects and invertebrates and provide food for other animals.
So, as March approaches, my family and I eagerly anticipate those warm, rainy March nights as we hope to again witness the salamander migration. It's only during this short time many of these animals can be seen at all, since after mating and laying eggs, most retreat underground only rarely to venture out again until next spring.
http://zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/NEWS01/802180313/1002/NEWS01
It probably seems ridiculous to be thinking of salamanders when it's 20 degrees outside, but as we all long for spring I eagerly anticipate their arrival. For those of you who may not have read my articles before, I'm really into amphibians. Because salamanders are cold blooded, they spend the cold, snowy Ohio winter hibernating underground.
Then, on warm, rainy March nights something amazing happens and they seem to magically appear. Driven from the ground by the warm rain, many species of salamanders migrate in large numbers down from their hibernation sites in the hills to the ponds, marshes and wetlands below. They are looking for safe places to mate and lay their eggs. Most of us are completely unaware of this frenzy of activity, because salamanders are nocturnal and most normal people stay in on rainy March nights. Not me. March 15, 2007 was the first time I was privileged enough to witness this mass migration and it was something. We found six of Ohio's 26 species of salamanders on that night numbering about 30 individuals. The species we found belong to the mole salamander family and are only seen in early spring.
Salamanders are a fascinating group of amphibians. Like all other amphibians, they go through a metamorphosis from egg to larva to adult. During the larva stage, all salamanders have gills and thus must stay in the water, but as they complete their life cycle, many loose the gills and grow lungs for life on land. Most are also capable of absorbing oxygen directly through their skin. Most salamanders in Ohio belong to either the lungless salamander family or the mole salamander family. There are two completely aquatic species of salamanders in our state, the mudpuppy and the endangered hellbender. Both species require large, swift moving streams of excellent water quality. The mudpuppy never undergoes complete metamorphosis and retains its gills throughout its life. The hellbender is the largest amphibian in Ohio. Unlike the mudpuppy, its does not have external gills, but small gill slits on the side of its neck. It is a state endangered species.
Another unique amphibian found locally is the red spotted newt. This amphibian takes metamorphosis to an entirely new level. Three to four months after the eggs hatch, the larva develop lungs and begin life on land as the red eft. For the next 2-3 years, this little orange salamander forages for insects on the forest floor. A toxic substance in their skin protects them from predators. During their third year of life, the red eft undergoes another metamorphosis, its skin changes to olive green, the tail becomes wedge shaped (for swimming) and it returns to the water to breed and stays there the rest of its life as a mature red-spotted newt.
The largest terrestrial salamander in Ohio is the eastern tiger salamander. These mole salamanders, although seldom seen can grow to lengths of nearly nine inches. The tiger salamander we use in our education program is already eight inches long.
Because salamanders are nocturnal, voiceless and shy, many of us never get to see the vast variety of colors and sizes these animals exhibit. Their secretive nature makes them difficult for biologists to study and the population of nearly all Ohio salamanders is unknown. Like their frog cousins, their numbers are on the decline due to habitat destruction and pollution of the waters needed for reproduction. Many are killed trying to cross roads to reach their mating grounds, which they return to year after year in large numbers. Amphibians, like all living things play a vital role in the ecosystems they inhabit. They eat forest insects and invertebrates and provide food for other animals.
So, as March approaches, my family and I eagerly anticipate those warm, rainy March nights as we hope to again witness the salamander migration. It's only during this short time many of these animals can be seen at all, since after mating and laying eggs, most retreat underground only rarely to venture out again until next spring.
http://zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/NEWS01/802180313/1002/NEWS01