Slimy Salamander (Plethodon glutinosus)
There’s always that one subject that is particularly challenging to photograph, and for me it’s the Slimy Salamander. They live in dense forests where the light is quite low and they quickly retreat from bright light, so without a high shutter speed your chances of capturing these secretive salamanders is next to none. What’s more, their jet black body and eyes makes it difficult to get the focus just right. And if you try to move them into a better position, your fingers get coated in their gooey secretions and then you stick to anything else you touch! These elusive...
Read MoreNot All Salamanders Are Newts…
If you’re an amphibian enthusiast, you’ve probably heard this phrase at some point: “All newts are salamanders but not all salamanders are newts.” Does trying to make sense of this cause smoke to come out of your ears? You’re not alone. To shed some light on this conundrum, let’s first consider a bit of taxonomy. Within the Class Amphibia there are three Orders: Caudata, Anura, and Gymnophiona. Caudata refers to the salamanders; species that retain their tails as adults and have four legs. These differ from the Anurans (frogs) which lose their tails as...
Read MoreWeb-footed Salamander (Bolitoglossa medemi)
While we’re on the match stick theme – here’s another non-flashy stunner from last week’s Panama trip. Tropical salamanders also breed through direct development, skip a free-swimming larval stage, and hatch as mini versions of their parents – just like the miniature rain frog I posted earlier this week. This young web-footed salamander (Bolitoglossa medemi) is also spectacularly tiny! Twan Leenders RTPI President
Read MoreThe Hellbender Search Continues
Sunshine is abundant, streams are low, clear and warm, and traps are smelly and baited…wait, what was that last part?! As the summer season is slated to officially begin this Monday, the field season is already underway and our hellbender search within Chautauqua County has begun once again. As you may recall, last fall we worked with Robin Foster, PhD candidate at the University of Buffalo, to take eDNA samples from a number of potentially suitable sites to be tested. In case you aren’t familiar, eDNA is short for environmental DNA and is a reliable method in detecting even...
Read MoreSalamander Saturday – May 7, 2016
Salamander Saturday – May 7, 2016 Saturday, May 7th is SALAMANDER SATURDAY! Please join us at RTPI between 1 and 3pm to enjoy a variety of salamander-themed activities for visitors of all ages. More details coming soon!
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