Seal Salamander
(Desamognathus
monticola) |
 |
DESCRIPTION: 3-5 7/8" (7.6-14.9 cm).
A stout, variably patterned species. Pale stripe from eye to
angle of jaw. Light brown or grayish above, with numerous
dark-brown or black streaks, blotches, or reticulations
surrounded by paler areas. In individuals in the Blue Ridge
Mountains of Virginia, dark markings may be reduced to scattered
small round spots or absent. Belly light-colored, with or
without blotches. Sides dark above, light-speckled below, the
transition abrupt. Tail sharply keeled, compressed; tip pointed.
STATUS:
RANGE: From sea level to high
mountains from Pennsylvania to southwestern Alabama.
HABITAT: Often found in well-shaded
banks and ravines of mountain streams and around brooks and
streams in forested areas. They hide by day under stones or in
burrows, but can be sometimes be found out in the open at nigh.
SPECIAL HABITAT:
FOOD: Ants, beetles, and
occasionally other salamanders. |
