Seal Salamander
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| Seal Salamander | ||||||||||||||
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| Desmognathus monticola Dunn, 1916 |
The seal salamander (Desmognathus monticola) is a species of lungless salamander native to the mid- and southeastern United States. Its habitat includes rocky mountain streams, spring-fed brooks in the ravines of deciduous forests, muddy sections of streams and seepages. In these areas they are typically found hiding under rocks or moss, or burrowing into muddy banks. They can also be occasionally observed perching on wet rocks. They most commonly lay their eggs under rocks or leaves in the water, but they may lay them beneath or inside of logs near the water's edge. The total adult population size of the species is assumed to exceed 100,000. The adults are less colorful than the younger ones. The larva stage lastes for nine to ten months.
[edit] Distribution
The seal salamander can be found from southwestern Pennsylvania and south through areas of high elevation in West Virginia, western Maryland, western and northern Virginia, eastern Kentucky, western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, western South Carolina, and northern Georgia to central Alabama. There are also disjunctive populations in southern Alabama as well as at the very western end of the Florida panhandle. In the north of its range, it has not been observed north or west of the Ohio River.
[edit] References
- Hammerson, G. 2004. Desmognathus monticola. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 23 July 2007.
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