Rural roads near wetlands in the northern section of Saugerties are the most productive spots for viewing the salamanders. Barbour said he’s observed blue-spotted salamanders, whose skin resembles crackled enamel, on West Camp Road, near the Great Vly. The blue-spotted, which is easily confused with the drab Jefferson, breed in pools in calcareous woods, while the Jefferson like acidic pools, such as those filled with hemlock and pine needles. (The species interbreed and one is more likely to spot the hybrids. While they are more robust than their parents, the hybrids are weak breeders themselves and thus can’t maintain the population, according to Barbour.)
Barbour noted that the tadpoles of the marbled salamander, which have overwintered in the pools, are on the verge of maturing and also are visible. “The inch-and-a-quarter-long tadpoles are jet black, which enables them to absorb the sunlight and keep warm,” he said. “They tend to cluster along the shallow, sunny areas of the pools.”
Barbour said he had discovered in his surveying work a diversity of breeding numbers in the pools, with some attracting large numbers of amphibians and others relatively empty. He’s also noticed shifts, where a pool will suddenly attract more breeding salamanders. In some places, such as Sam’s Point, in Ellenville, the salamanders will breed anywhere—at the edge of a lake or even in a drainage ditch, given the dearth of vernal pools.
The salamanders stay in the pool for several days before gradually emerging and returning to the woods. They are secretive during the day, hiding under the leaf litter, but emerge at night to mate. Chorvas, who has observed them with a flashlight, described a ritualistic-like dance, with up to half a dozen males swirling around a female. The male drops a packet of sperm, which the female picks up with her cloaca, afterward depositing the fertilized eggs, which resemble clusters of transparent grapes, into the water. Chorvas said he’s observed the silent creatures “rub noses” initially.
A Big Night typically yields sightings of other migrating woodland amphibians, such as the land-based red-backed salamander, which lays a few relatively large eggs, like a slug or a snail, in the woods; spring salamanders, which live in ground-water springs; and the slimy salamander, along with the common green frog and an occasional bull frog, according to Barbour. Chorvas, who’s always on the lookout for the rare and unusual, spotted a long-tailed salamander, which resides in the sphagnum moss of bogs, ten years ago; he hasn’t seen one since.
Heady, who two weeks ago held a training session for identifying migrating amphibians at the DEC’s Region Three headquarters in New Paltz—the approximately 30 attendees were given reflecting vests, a flashlight, and data forms with clipboards in the darkened room and set to work identifying the life-size photographs of various specimens scattered over the carpet—said volunteers should unfortunately be prepared for the sadness of finding lots of squished amphibians. Particularly in the case of the larger salamanders and toads, the spectacle can be quite gory, but Heady said it was important people remove the corpse from the road (the squeamish were advised to use a spatula) and identify and count it.
“You’re hearing ‘squash, squash’ from the tires, particularly when you have big American toads,” said Chorvas. “Most people are totally oblivious to what’s going on. Especially on the highways, it’s difficult to imagine any amphibian getting across the road without getting killed.”
Indeed, Barbour said research has revealed that in areas with lots of development and busy roads, populations of amphibians have been wiped out.
He added that his particular obsession with reptiles, amphibians, and insects—the small, unsung creatures that escape most people’s notice and can be a challenge to locate—is a quest inextricably connected to the big picture. “It’s our neglect and ignorance that’s a great big part of what’s wrecking the world today,” he said, bemoaning the lack of education at the public schools on basic animal biodiversity. “Every organism, every species is interesting once you start to learn about it”—not the least of which are the local salamanders, silent, humble, remarkably long-lived creatures—their lifespan can be as long as a decade–whose habits and migration patterns are still shrouded in mystery. l
If you’re interested in helping out with the salamander migration, contact Laura Heady at [email protected]. Visit www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html for pictures and to download a data collection form.
