Fourche Mountain salamander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fourche Mountain salamander |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Plethodon
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| Species: |
fourchensis
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The Fourche Mountain salamander (Plethodon fourchensis) is a special type of salamander. It belongs to a group called Plethodontidae, which means they don't have lungs! This salamander only lives in the Ouachita Mountains in the central United States. It likes to live in cool, temperate forests. Sadly, its home is shrinking, which puts it in danger.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The Fourche Mountain salamander is built a bit stronger than other salamanders nearby. Its back is black. It has two rows of grey spots that aren't perfectly shaped. You might also see tiny, light-colored spots scattered around. Its belly is dark, but it has a few lighter spots there too. The area under its chin is usually pale.
Where Does It Live?
This salamander is very particular about where it lives. It can only be found in a few places. These include the Fourche Mountains, the Shut-In Mountains, and the eastern part of Iron Fork Mountain. All these places are in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.
It prefers to live high up in the mountains. You'll often find it in forests with trees that lose their leaves in the fall. It especially likes ravines and slopes that face north, where it's cooler and wetter. Sometimes, it even mixes with another salamander, the Rich Mountain salamander, where their homes meet.
Life and Habits
The Fourche Mountain salamander is quite shy. It likes to hide under plants, rocks, and fallen logs. It mostly hunts for food at night. Its diet includes small bugs, spiders, and worms.
When the weather gets hot and dry, usually from May to September, it might go underground. This is like a summer nap, called aestivation. It waits there for wetter times. It probably takes a long winter nap, or hibernates, from November to March.
Reproduction
Scientists don't know a lot about how these salamanders have babies. But they think it's similar to the Rich Mountain salamander. The female lays her eggs in special underground spots. She then stays with the eggs to protect them.
Unlike many amphibians, these salamanders don't have a tadpole stage in water. Instead, the eggs hatch directly into tiny salamanders that look like mini adults! Female salamanders might lay eggs every other year, either in the fall or winter.
Status and Protection
The Fourche Mountain salamander is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means it's at risk of becoming endangered. Even though there can be many of them in certain spots, they only live in a small area. This makes them sensitive to changes in their environment.
If their home is disturbed or damaged, it can be a big problem for them. Luckily, their entire home range is inside the Ouachita National Forest. This forest helps protect their habitat.
