Spotted salamander questions

[matt3civic]

I would like to find a spotted salamander in the wild, but I haven't had much luck. I assume it would be better to wait until dark to look, but does anyone that has experience have any advice as to where to look.

 

[Nathan050793]

It is against forum rules to give specific locations, as explained here- http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=48740

I'd be happy to give you some pointers though. Spotted salamanders can often be found in the vicinity of vernal pools, so that's often a good place to start. They tend to hide underneath rotted logs/rocks, especially in abandoned small animal burrows. Essentially, once you find an area that they inhabit, you just need to keep flipping logs and rocks.

These threads may be insightful-
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=60603
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58458

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Honestly, depending on what part of the country you live in it would be futile to go looking for spotteds right now, it's just too darn hot. However, come late September to mid November you could flip logs and rocks as Nathan pointed out and have a better chance of finding them. Just make sure your in the right habitat for them first.