Bouncing Babies
Here we have some bouncing baby…umm, boys and girls I would guess. These spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) babies will soon be hatching from their globular masses and become veracious predators in the little vernal pools in which they temporarily reside. As they feed and grow, they will be racing against the clock in order to develop from free swimming legless tadpoles into four legged land dwellers before their nursery pool dries out towards the end of the summer. Talk about rapid development! Elyse Henshaw Conservation Technician
Read MoreProductive Vernal Pools
Have you ever wondered what might be hiding just beneath the water’s surface in these temporary pools that crop up in early spring? This little clip reveals a productive vernal pool that has a number of spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) egg masses nestled within the leaf litter of the pool floor. These pools are an important breeding area for several amphibian species, as you can see, because they provide a safe fish-less environment for the eggs and eventual tadpoles to...
Read MoreMale Competition
The Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) is another early spring breeding amphibian common to our region. These explosive breeders utilize vernal pools, just like spotted salamanders, and their breeding activities are squeezed into just a few days. As the frogs enter the pools, males will take up their positions floating at the surface of the pool croaking their characteristic call. While they are calling, they will often joust with one another, especially if a female is nearby. These two males had a bit of a tousle, but both went on to call in another spot ready for females to come their way. Elyse...
Read MoreUnderwater World
While these little white puffs may look like little air pockets escaping from underwater volcanoes they are actually little spermatophores, or sperm packets produced by male spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), scattered across a vernal pool floor. As females arrive and enter ephemeral pools (sometimes up to a week after the males), males go into a frenzy. Typically the ratio of males to females in the pools is very skewed, with many males to every one female. This fuels some pretty intense male to male competition and very interesting sexual selection. Males surround females and nudge...
Read MoreSpring Migrations Have Begun!
So I’ve got a bit of a funny story for you and it goes a little something like this: last Thursday night, as we suspected, warm overnight rains began to draw spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer), and other amphibians out from their winter refuges. They began their journeys to nearby vernal pools, but some of them took detours in the process. My husband Tyler and I were house and pet sitting for my parents while they were on vacation. Behind their home is a series of ponds that make up a beautiful wetland system, and vernal pools are abundant...
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