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Junaluska salamander facts for kids

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Junaluska salamander
Eurycea junaluska.jpg
Conservation status
Scientific classification

The Junaluska salamander (Eurycea junaluska) is a type of lungless salamander. This means it breathes through its skin and mouth, not with lungs! These salamanders live in the southeastern United States. Scientists David M. Sever, Harold M. Dundee, and Charles D. Sullivan first found and described this species in 1976. They discovered it near the Cheoah River, Santeetlah Creek, and Tululah Creek in Graham County, North Carolina.

Adult Junaluska salamanders often live near big, rocky streams. You might even spot them on roads during rainy nights! This salamander is brownish-yellow with small dots or wavy lines on its body. It looks quite strong and sturdy compared to other salamanders in its group, Eurycea. Junaluska salamanders lay their eggs in large streams. They attach the eggs to the bottom of rocks. The IUCN (a group that tracks endangered species) lists the Junaluska salamander as Vulnerable. This means it's at risk of becoming endangered. Because there are so few of them, protecting this species is very important in both North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee.

What Does the Junaluska Salamander Look Like?

The Junaluska salamander has a brownish back with small dots or wavy lines. It's easy to tell it apart from the E. bislineata. The Junaluska salamander has a stronger body, longer front legs, and a shorter tail. Scientists have also found that it has a longer row of special teeth called prevomerine teeth.

This salamander also has a wavy, broken black stripe. This stripe starts near its nostril, goes through its eye, and runs along the sides of its body and tail. It can be up to 0.80 millimeters wide. Its front legs have four toes, and its back legs have five toes. It also has special grooves on its face called nasolabial grooves. Usually, it has between 13 and 15 grooves along its sides, called coastal grooves.

The name junaluska honors a famous Cherokee chief named Junaluska. The area where Chief Junaluska lived in North Carolina is also where many of these salamanders are found.

Where Do Junaluska Salamanders Live?

Junaluska salamanders have only been found in the Blue Ridge Mountain area. This includes the Cheoah River, Santeetlah Creek, and Tululah Creek in Graham County, North Carolina. They also live in a few creeks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Sevier County, Tennessee.

These salamanders are very hard to find. You are more likely to spot them in larger, rocky streams when the weather is colder. Another way to see them is by driving slowly on roads late at night when it's raining. They often move between their land habitats and their breeding spots during these times.

What Do Junaluska Salamanders Eat?

Young Junaluska salamanders (larvae) are not very common in larger streams. This might be because fish like trout eat them. Other types of fish can also affect their numbers. Competition with other salamanders for food or space might also be a problem. Scientists believe Junaluska salamanders eat small invertebrates. These are tiny creatures without backbones, found in streams and forest areas. We don't know much yet about how they interact with other species.

Junaluska Salamander Life Cycle and Reproduction

We are still learning a lot about the early life of Junaluska salamanders. Studies show that they breed from fall to early spring. The larval stage, when they live in water, lasts about two to three years. They then change into adults during the summer months.

Female salamanders lay their eggs in streams. They attach the eggs under large rocks or other objects in the water. The eggs are usually laid 6 to 20 centimeters deep. Adult salamanders often stay near the eggs to protect them. A female can lay between 30 and 50 eggs at a time. The young larvae live completely in the water until they change into adults. It can be tricky to tell young Junaluska salamanders apart from other Eurycea species. Scientists use special leaf mats placed under or near rocks in streams to find the eggs and adult salamanders. This helps them gather important information.

Protecting the Junaluska Salamander

The IUCN says the Junaluska salamander is "Vulnerable." This means it needs our help to survive. The biggest threats to these salamanders come from human activities. These include logging (cutting down trees), building roads, and developing cities. These activities can harm the water quality in streams, which directly affects the small populations of this rare species.

When their breeding sites are disturbed, it can interrupt their breeding season from fall to early spring. This can be very bad for the number of young salamanders that survive. North Carolina and Tennessee have different ways of listing this species for protection. In North Carolina, it is considered "state threatened" and a "federal species of special concern." In Tennessee, it is listed as "imperiled" and needs careful management.

It is very important to protect these salamanders because they only live in the United States, mainly in North Carolina and Tennessee. Also, their total population is thought to be less than 1,000 individuals. Every effort to conserve them truly matters!

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