Green Salamander

Aneides aeneus

Like its western cousins, the Green Salamander -- the only eastern climbing salamander -- has a flat head and body, the perfect body design for sneaking into tight cracks and crevices on cliffs. Even when they are not hiding, Green Salamanders can be hard to see; their bodies are patterned like lichen (a spongelike plant that grows on trees and rocks), which camouflages them on the rocky habitats where they roam.

Look For : A gray to dark brown salamander with a flattened head and body and green to yellow-green splotches on its uppersides; pale yellowish below.

Length : 3-5".

Habitat : Moist rock faces with narrow cracks in hardwood forests.

Range : Southwestern Pennsylvania and south to Alabama and South Carolina.