Spotted Salamander

Ambystoma maculatum

The first warm, rainy night of spring is the time to put on your rubber boots and go out hunting for Spotted Salamanders. These big, yellow-spotted creatures have spent most of the year below ground, waiting for this night to leave their burrows and travel to breeding ponds.

Look For : A large, blackish salamander with bright yellow to orange spots decorating its upperparts from head to tail; gray below.

Length : 6-8".

Habitat : Near bodies of water in deciduous forests (with trees that lose their leaves in the fall).

Range : Eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada.