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The Jefferson salamander was named in honor of Jefferson College (indirectly for Thomas Jefferson, who was a famous statesman, president, and an accomplished naturalist). It often crossbreeds with the blue-spotted salamander, producing a fertile hybrid known as the triploid Jefferson’s salamander (Ambystoma platineum). The hybrid is always a female. Externally, it is almost identical to the Jefferson’s salamander. The triploid mates with the male Jefferson’s salamander, producing additional triploid females. |
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Jefferson Salamander
Ambystoma jeffersonianum
At-a-Glance
• Family: Ambystomatidae (Mole Salamanders)
• Length: 4.5 - 7 inches
• Peak Breeding Activity: March-April
• Typical Foods: insects and other invertebrate species
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Description
The Jefferson salamander looks somewhat like the spotted salamander species without the yellow spots. Notice, however, the long toes and the sprinkling of small silver-blue specks concentrated on the sides of the body on younger specimens.
Habitat and Habits
This salamander lives in moist woodlands throughout the state. It is very secretive and seldom seen except in early spring when it enters shallow woodland breeding ponds.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
Females lay their eggs in masses of 10-20 and attach them to vegetation underwater. She usually produces hundreds of eggs in one season. The eggs hatch in 35 to 40 days and the young transform into salamanders in late summer. |
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