Alternative Name
Scientific Name: Ambystoma opacum
Basic Info
The Marbled Salamander grows to be 4 to 5 inches at maturity. Their body is black and white with a marbled pattern. Some specimens are entirely black or white, but this is rare. Marbled Salamanders have short and stocky bodies with stubby tails. They have 11 or 12 costal grooves. Males have a more silvery color and swollen cloacal glands.
Health
Marbled Salamanders are relatively undemanding. They should be kept at a temperature around 75 degrees, but never above 85 degrees. Humidity should be light. Marbled Salamanders can be fed worms, small insects, and prepared foods such as turtle pellets. All pellets should be soaked in water prior to feeding. A body of water deep enough for the Marbled Salamander to soak in is required. The water should always be kept clean.
Breeding
Unlike other salamanders, the Marbled Salamander breeds in the fall, and they breed on land. When a male and female meet, the male will attempt to court the female by moving in circles. The male will then deposit a spermatophore on the ground. The female will then pick up the deposit with her cloaca. At this point, the female will go off on her own and will lay her eggs in a depression in the ground. At typical clutch will consist of 50 to 100 eggs. The eggs will hatch during the next rain, when their depression becomes flooded. If rain does not come, the eggs have a chance of lasting through the winter and hatching in the spring.
The larvae of the Marbled Salamander are gray in color. Maturity is reached in eight to nine months. Larvae eat other salamander eggs, small insects, snails, and other small invertebrates.
Habitat
Marbled Salamanders are mostly found near small bodies of water, such as streams and ponds.
Behavior
The Marbled Salamander is an interesting creature. They are sought after by many hobbyists for their wonderful coloration and their general undemanding nature and ease of care.
The Marbled Salamander is a reclusive salamander. They spend most of their time in their self made underground burrows. They are nocturnal animals, and they do their hunting at night. Marbled Salamanders are quite fun to watch. Handling should be kept to a minimum. A Marbled Salamander habitat should have a deep soil and leaf substrate for burrowing. A pool of water and plenty of vegetation and hiding spots are also necessary. Their tank should be sealed to prevent escape.
Origin
North America
History
The Marbled Salamander, or Ambystoma opacum, is found throughout Midwestern America, from Florida to New England. They are a considered to be a threatened species in Michigan.
Common Foods
feeds primarily on insects, earthworms, small rodents, small animals.
Latest news about Salamander Marbled
PA Online Herpetological Atlas update
New updates and news from Tim Maret of the PA HERP ATLAS. I’m glad to see more participation and that the project is running smoothly. Check the site out to learn how you can help with the project. Hello, After spending much of the summer out in the field looking for amphibians and reptiles, I spent much of last week updating the maps on the Pennsylvania Online Herpetological Atlas website (http://webspace.ship.edu/tjmare/herp.htm). I made it through all of the species except for box and wood Continue reading
Marbled Redback Salamander, Washington Crossing State Park
I found this very interestingly marked Redback Salamander while flipping logs at Washington Crossing State Park on Sunday. I love the mixed deep red and blue-gray color of his back, so I just had to photograph him. Isn’t he pretty? I showed this photograph to a bunch of herper friends and all of them think this is one of the coolest looking redbacks they’ve seen. Redbacks often have quite a bit of variation in color, usually ranging from yellow to red or exhibiting a steel-gray “leadback. Continue reading
Lead Redback Salamander, Washington Crossing State Park, New Jersey
I had planned to stay in and work on my website for most of today, but the calm, bright overcast weather was too good not to take advantage of, so I decided to stop by Washington Crossing State Park for a couple of hours to see if I could find anything to photograph. I ended up flipping some logs and rocks looking for salamanders and found many Redback Salamanders and Two-lined Salamanders, as well as what I think was a Dusky Salamander and four small frogs I don’t feel qualified to identify a Continue reading
Amphibians of Berrien County, Michigan
Based on specimen records in the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology, 18 species representing 2 orders, 6 families, and 8 genera within the Class Amphibia (frogs, toads, and salamanders) are known from Berrien County: ORDER ANURA (Frogs and Toads)Family Hylidae (Treefrogs): Acris crepitans, Northern Cricket Frog Hyla chrysoscelis, Cope’s Gray Treefrog Hyla versicolor, Gray Treefrog Pseudacris crucifer, Spring Peeper Pseudacris triseriata, Chorus Frog Family Ranidae (True Frogs): Rana ca Continue reading
Friendly Returns
More on President's Cup Sunday So we won our ninth President's Cup match, despite Bayley arriving 20 minutes late [why oh why does the fourth dimension have such a loose hold on one of our nation's finest quizzers], quite comfortably in the end: 51-34. We lost the first round and I did think, oh no, it's not going to be one of THOSE matches is it, but we managed to regain our composure and win several rounds convincingly enough to put us out of reach. I shan't go into the errors that littered Continue reading
Monday Items
-- This looks promising. -- Stillman, Commodore gone. Is the white flag being raised with this deal? My roommate, who had something of a non-sexual man crush on Mike Commodore, is devastated. -- It must be a slow news day, since this popped up in my daily search: vote for the state amphibian. You think it's too late for a Charles Shackleford write-in campaign? The marbled salamander has a decent head start. -- The NBA is including +/- in box scores; there's also this. Continue reading
