Have you “spotted” this amphibian?  

Yellow-spotted salamanders are termed a ‘mole’ salamander, as they spend most of their life in the upland area. They use abandoned small mammal burrows for their home during the summer, fall, and winter, and if soil conditions allow, they can also dig their own burrow. The term “amphibian” comes from the Greek word “amphibious”, with amphi- meaning “both” and -bios meaning “life”. This is a nod to the fact that these salamanders spend part of their young life cycle underwater, breathing through gills just like fish, before developing lungs to live the rest of their life out of water. If their stars align, yellow-spotted salamanders can live up to 20 years, but the harsh reality is that they are food source for many animals, such as weasels, hawks, crows, raccoons, and skunks. Many do not make it to their second or third birthday. With each adult female laying 2 or 3 egg masses (containing 20-100 eggs each), they try and beat the odds with sheer numbers. We are helping to keep the numbers high by providing protection to over 150 amphibian sites in Maine, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.