Three-lined salamander facts for kids
The three-lined salamander (Eurycea guttolineata) is a cool type of salamander. It belongs to a group called Plethodontidae. You can only find this salamander in the southeastern United States. It used to be thought of as a type of long-tailed salamander. But scientists found out they are different species. Like its relatives, this salamander catches its food by shooting out its tongue!
Quick facts for kids Three-lined salamander |
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Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The three-lined salamander is a medium-sized, thin salamander. Adults are usually about 10 to 16 centimeters long. They are tan or light yellow in color. They have three black stripes that run from their eyes all the way down to their tail.
These salamanders have 13 to 14 grooves on their sides. These grooves help them breathe through their skin. Their tail is very long, making up about two-thirds of their total body length. Their belly is also special. It has bold black and white patterns, like marble.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Three-lined salamanders breed in slow-moving bogs and streams. Female salamanders go into cooler water in late fall and winter. This is when they lay their eggs. They usually lay about 12 to 14 eggs at a time.
When the eggs hatch, the baby salamanders are very tiny. They are only about 10 to 13 millimeters long. These young salamanders are called larvae. They live in the water and have gills to breathe.
Larvae change into adult salamanders through a process called metamorphosis. This change usually takes about 4 to 6 months. During metamorphosis, they lose their gills. They also grow eyelids and their tail fin shrinks. Their skin color changes too.
Scientists have studied how elevation affects these changes. Larvae at lower elevations change into adults faster. Those at higher elevations take longer. This is often because they spend the winter as larvae.
Where Do They Live?
You can find the three-lined salamander across the southeastern United States. They live in the Appalachian Mountains. This includes states like Virginia and Tennessee. They also live south through the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama. You can find them in Mississippi, eastern Louisiana, and western Florida too.
Their Home
These salamanders like to live in wet places. Their natural habitats include floodplains in forests. They also live in ditches, along streamsides, and in seepages.
When the weather is wet, they might move into wooded areas on land. They are quite common in places where they can find suitable homes. However, some groups of these salamanders have disappeared. This is because their forest homes, especially bottomland hardwood forests, have been lost.
What Do They Eat?
Three-lined salamanders eat many different small creatures. Their diet includes snails and snail eggs. They also munch on spiders, millipedes, and different types of worms. Many kinds of insects are on their menu too.
Young salamander larvae likely eat very small invertebrates. But scientists haven't studied their eating habits in detail yet.
These salamanders are good at catching food with their tongues. Their tongues can shoot out very fast! Even in cold temperatures, they can still project their tongues well. However, they move a bit slower overall when it's cold.
