Polk County’s Most Wanted – Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum)
Have you seen Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum)?
Conserving Carolina and botanist/ecologist David Campbell need your help in locating this month’s “Polk County’s Most Wanted—Animal,” the Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum). Polk County’s Most Wanted is a community science initiative with a new challenge each month, in which you can expand the scientific understanding of the flora and fauna of Polk County.
Where should I look for the Four-toed Salamander?
Preferred habitats of this species are wooded wetlands, bogs, or forests immediately adjacent to these environments. Mating occurs in the fall, and females will lay eggs on land, often under clumps of moss, including various peat mosses (Sphagnum spp.). Dietary items are small invertebrates such as insects, springtails, and other arthropods. Found throughout North Carolina from the mountains to the coast, this species is nowhere common, and its occurrences are often scattered and localized.
There are records of the Four-toed Salamander in Polk County, but most of these are historic (greater than twenty years old). A good time to search for these secretive amphibians is during the fall and spring, during or following cool rains. Purposeful investigation involving turning over rocks, logs, or clumps of moss (remember to replace these items to their original positions) is the preferred method to proceed. If you are fortunate enough to locate one of these cryptic-colored salamanders, do not touch it, but instead consider taking a picture which can serve as an important record of their presence in Polk County.
How do I identify the Four-toed Salamander?
At approximately four inches in length, this species is one of the smaller salamanders in our region. The Four-toed salamander is distinctive, it has a light-colored dorsal surface ‘sprinkled’ with dark spots, gray sides, and a brownish/reddish back. As the name implies, it has four toes on its hind limbs. There is also a conspicuous constriction of the tail which is usually quite apparent.
What can you do?
If you think that you have seen Four-toed Salamander in Polk County, please contact Pam Torlina at Conserving Carolina by email at [email protected], and if you can, provide a clear photo for a definitive confirmation.
For More Information
Visit Conserving Carolina’s website, conservingcarolina.org/polk-most-wanted, for more information about “Polk County’s Most Wanted” and to download and print a “Pocket Guide” with all of the “Most Wanted” plants, animals, and habitats that you can be on the lookout for!
Also, a culmination of David Campbell’s seven years in the field documenting the rare and significant flora and fauna in Polk County have been compiled in a book titled, “An Inventory of the Significant Natural Areas of Polk County, North Carolina.” The document can be downloaded for free on Conserving Carolina’s website at conservingcarolina.org/polk-county-inventory, or a hard copy can be purchased, at cost, on Amazon.
Conserving Carolina, your local land trust, is dedicated to protecting land and water, promoting good stewardship, and creating opportunities for people to enjoy nature. Learn more and become a member at conservingcarolina.org.