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This site was created by students in the herpetology class at Towson University. Site last updated: 05/21/07.
Acknowledgements: Herb Harris - Range Maps; Mark Tegges - Photography; Dan Lapascha & Gigi Forester - TU Herpetology Logo
Jefferson Salamander
(Ambystoma jeffersonianum )
Description
The Jefferson salamander is usually between 10.7 and 18 cm long but can grow to be 21 cm long. It has long toes, a long snout, and a relatively slender build. It is also dark brown or gray, with no markings. It is named for Jefferson College, which, in turn, had been named for Thomas Jefferson. Hybridization with the blue-spotted salamander (A. laterale) may occur in areas of range-overlap, but no range-overlap between these species occurs in Maryland.
Habitat
Like most ambystomatid salamanders, the Jefferson salamander spends the majority of its time in underground burrows or tunnels that have been excavated by small mammals, but they will leave their burrows on rainy nights for foraging and during the breeding season.
Breeding
The Jefferson salamander is one of the earliest seasonal breeders, often migrating to breeding ponds before they have completely thawed. Males often arrive before the females. It is believed that males breed every year, while females may skip a year or more. During courtship, the male deposits a spermatophore that the female picks up and stores in her spermathecae until she is ready to lay her eggs, which she does a day or two after mating. Egg masses consist of 20 to 30 eggs and are attached to underwater sticks or vegetation. A single female can produce between 100 and 280 eggs in a single breeding season.
Typically, eggs hatch in approximately 14 weeks, with metamorphosis occurring two to three months after hatching. Sexual maturity is reached in two or three years. The Jefferson salamander can live for at least six years.
Distribution in Maryland
Range map adapted from Harris, 1975.
Links:
http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/molesals.html
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/ambystoma/a._jeffersonianum$narrative.html