Northern Slimy Salamander
Plethodon glutinosus
Also known as: Slimy Salamander
Amphibia
UNCOMMON
Stats
- Lifespan
- 10-20 yrs
- Size
- Medium
- Diet
- Insectivore
- Activity
- Nocturnal
- Social
- Solitary
- Biome
- Temperate forest
- Range
- North America
- Movement
- Walking
- Breeding
- Egg-laying
- Defense
- Toxins
- Status
- Uncommon
About
This lungless woodland salamander secretes a thick, glue-like slime from its tail and back when threatened, which can gum up a predator's mouth and is notoriously difficult to wash off skin. It forages on the forest floor at night after rain, hunting ants, beetles, and other small invertebrates.
Life cycle
- 1.eggA jelly-coated egg is laid in water and develops over days into an aquatic larva.
- 2.tadpoleA gilled tadpole swims and grazes on algae, slowly absorbing its tail and growing limbs.
- 3.juvenileA near-adult amphibian leaves the water with new legs and lungs, smaller than the mature form.
- 4.adultFully grown at adult size, breathing air.
Learn more
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Caudata
- Family
- Plethodontidae
- Genus
- Plethodon
- Species
- Plethodon glutinosus