The four-toed salamander is a small, slender type. It has a really interesting color to it, too. It usually has a milky-white underbelly where, when going from the belly up around the sides, it has blackish-bluish speckles. The main color of this salamander varies from a gray to a brown, sometimes even orange. Did you even know that this unique salamander is lungless? This is just one of the many facts about this creature. Its name, the four-toed salamander, came from a trait. Instead of five toes on their hind feet, they have four. This makes it different among other salamanders. When an adult, this salamander is so small that is it only about 2 to 4 inches long. Babies are around 11 to 15 millimeters long and have a yellow-brown coloration. The babies are similar to the adults in appearance but are smaller with a slightly different coloration.

The eating habits of the four-toed salamander consist of insects, and some larvae. This can be spiders, worms, snails, bristletails, flies, and many more arthropods. Being a predator itself, it also has to have adaptations to help it evade being eaten. Their body coloration makes them hard to see because of the colors of their environment. Since these salamanders are small, they can easily fit into tight, little spaces. They can hide throughout leaf litter or under logs. Some are even small enough to hide in moss. If, however, a predator discovers them, they can snap off their tail at the constriction! You could say that their tails are 'readily regenerated.'

This species can be found in the Midwestern to southern states throughout the United States. For example, Michigan, Minnesota, and New England. They are popular among areas around the Appalachian Mountains. The areas that they are fond of are wetlands, forests, and boggy ponds. These ecosystems fit them nicely. Such as if they lived in a forest, it would have woody debris for cover and to hide in.  Nesting would take place around a fishless body of water nearby. A wetland, forest, or boggy pond is also damp which helps to preserve body moisture.

The population of Hemidactylium scutatum is starting to shrink. This species has a slight chance of becoming extinct. In various places, it is listed as endangered, or soon will be. Although some die of natural causes and predators, one reason the population is getting smaller. Humans are destroying their homes; forests and wetlands. There are getting fewer and fewer places that exist within suitable wetland areas. Also, these salamanders are getting killed when crossing the street. They get run over and left out in the road, which is not fair to them. We can prevent the extinction of four-toed salamanders by preserving wetlands, forests, and other damp areas and keeping woody debris in these areas. If there is little in an area like these, we can also put more. This takes care of both problems caused by humans. If their home is nice and left alone, why would they have to cross a street to leave it?

During my experience getting to observe and research the four-toed salamander, I have learned many interesting things about it.  I can relate to them; they are small and so am I! They are also unique among other salamanders.  Their common name, four-toed salamander, came from the fact that they have four toes on their hind feet.  This is not common with many salamanders.  That really stood out to me in the research.  This is because I realized that somehow through heredity, they got what I would call a mutation with the hind feet.  However, a whole species formed with this different look, which interested me. While researching, I learned that for some animals, it looks a lot easier to keep from extinction than it really is. This species of salamanders has to move from one wetland to the next because people are beginning to tear them down. Although they are sometimes saved from predators by their size, they cannot be saved if a car is coming by. It made me realize that it takes a lot to be such a small critter. I really enjoyed learning about the four-toed salamander, because it taught me some valuable things.

Author: Kayla M.
Published: 2/11/2010

Sources:
“Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum).” Michigan.Gov. Michigan DNRE natural resources & environment. http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12201-61176--,00.html