Yesterday I was moving firewood to a location away from the house to hopefully reduce the number of ants around the house. I wore gloves because you never know what may be living in, under, or around a wood pile. As it turns out, it was a good idea because there were so many spiders! However, removing those logs was like opening a treasure chest. There were so many things to see: snails, slugs, ants, termites, centipedes, worms, lizards, lizard eggs, beetles (big and small), all kinds of spiders, carpenter bees, caterpillars, cocoons... I kept stopping my work to look at things and/or take pictures; it's amazing I got the job done at all :)
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Red Salamander |
I don't remember how many loads of wood I hauled, but finally I was nearing the end. There were just a few logs left and I started transferring those to the wheelbarrow. As I lifted one of the logs, I saw a shiny reddish tail poking out from the adjacent log and I got all excited. Before even lifting the log, I raced to get my camera. Then, I carefully lifted the log away from the creature hiding beneath. There, at my feet, was a six inch long, stout looking Red Salamander. I had seen one several years ago, but hadn't seen one since, so I was super excited. I snapped a few pictures then decided I should move it to the new wood pile since I was taking away its home and protection. It was surprisingly strong as it tried to wiggle out of my hand, but soon it was exploring its new home.
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Red salamanders can be identified by their yellow colored iris, their orangish-red skin and many irregular black spots. They can be found in a variety of habitats, but are most common around sources of water where they will hide under logs, rocks, and moss. Because they are sensitive to water pollution, they are a good indicator of the general health of a stream. They eat all sorts of insects, worms, and even smaller salamanders. Some predators will avoid eating them because their coloring looks similar to the very poisonous red newt.
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Pseudotriton ruber |
Explaining to kids the differences between lizards and salamanders:
- Lizards are reptiles; salamanders are amphibians
- Lizards have dry skin with scales; salamanders have moist or slimy skin with no scales
- Lizards have external ear openings; salamanders lack ear openings
- Lizards have claws; salamanders have stumpy toes
- Lizards have eggs with shells which are usually laid in the sand; salamander eggs don't have shells and must be laid in moist environments (some even need to be completely submerged in water)
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