AMPHIBIANS OF OHIO f i e l d g u i d e DIVISION OF WILDLIFE INTRODUCTION Amphibians are typically shy, secre- Unlike reptiles, their skin is not scaly. Amphibian eggs must remain moist if tive animals. While a few amphibians Nor do they have claws on their toes. they are to hatch. The eggs do not have are relatively large, most are small, deli- Most amphibians prefer to come out at shells but rather are covered with a jelly- cately attractive, and brightly colored. night. like substance. Amphibians lay eggs sin- That some of these more vulnerable spe- gly, in masses, or in strings in the water The young undergo what is known cies survive at all is cause for wonder. or in some other moist place. as metamorphosis. They pass through Nearly 200 million years ago, amphib- a larval, usually aquatic, stage before As with all Ohio wildlife, the only ians were the first creatures to emerge drastically changing form and becoming real threat to their continued existence from the seas to begin life on land. The adults. is habitat degradation and destruction. term amphibian comes from the Greek Only by conserving suitable habitat to- Ohio is fortunate in having many spe- amphi, which means dual, and bios, day will we enable future generations to cies of amphibians. Although generally meaning life. While it is true that many study and enjoy Ohio’s amphibians. inconspicuous most of the year, during amphibians live a double life — spend- the breeding season, especially follow- ing part of their lives in water and the ing a warm, early spring rain, amphib- rest on land — some never go into the ians appear in great numbers seemingly water and others never leave it. out of nowhere. Those which migrate in All amphibians are cold-blooded mass to the breeding grounds are often animals with a soft, glandular, often killed in large numbers trying to cross moist skin which is capable of absorb- roads. Fortunately, however, nature for ing oxygen into the body. Amphibians the most part has endowed these little don’t drink water rather they absorb it animals with the ability to reproduce in through their skin. great numbers. Table Of Contents OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ENDANGERED Eastern Hellbender 5 23 Northern Slimy Salamander Common Mudpuppy 6 24 Spring Salamander Red-spotted Newt 7 25 Four-toed Salamander Streamside Salamander 8 26 Midland Mud Salamander Jefferson Salamander 9 27 Northern Red Salamander ENDANGERED Blue-spotted Salamander 10 29 American Toad Spotted Salamander 11 30 Fowler’s Toad Marbled Salamander 12 31 Eastern Spadefoot ENDANGERED Small-mouthed Salamander 13 32 Eastern Cricket Frog 3 Eastern Tiger Salamander 14 33 Mountain Chorus Frog ENDANGERED Green Salamander 15 34 Spring Peeper Northern Two-lined Salamander 16 35 Western Chorus Frog Southern Two-lined Salamander 16 36 Cope’s Gray Treefrog Long-tailed Salamander 17 36 Gray Treefrog ENDANGERED Cave Salamander 18 37 American Bullfrog Northern Dusky Salamander 19 38 Northern Green Frog Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander 20 39 Pickerel Frog Eastern Red-backed Salamander 21 40 Northern Leopard Frog Northern Ravine Salamander 22 41 Wood Frog DIVISION OF WILDLIFE MOLE sa l a M a NDeRs The family Ambystomatidae includes sa l a M a NDeRs the large, stout-bodied mole salaman- Frogs and toads make themselves ders which spend most of their lives known with their loud calling, but sal- underground. All have well-developed UNISEXUAL MOLE amanders are voiceless and shy. They lungs. Mole salamanders lack the naso- SALAMaNDeRs often go unnoticed, but there are more labial groove. The Eastern Tiger, Spot- Ambystoma sp. salamanders in North America than in ted, Marbled, Jefferson, Blue-spotted, Length 4-7 in. (10-17.5 cm.). all the rest of the world together. They streamside and Small-mouthed Sala- In eons past, hybridization of mole prefer to spend their daylight hours manders all belong to this family. salamander species produced a diz- hiding beneath rocks or in other moist zying array of salamanders having places. They move about during breed- lUNGLESS sa l a M a NDeRs characteristics of two or more species. ing season and some congregate in Today, thousands of generations later, The lungless salamanders of the fam- masses, but only for a brief time. Some these all female salamanders use the ily Plethodontidae are slender and have have elaborate courting rituals. sperm from either Blue-spotted, Jeffer- neither gills nor lungs. Oxygen is ab- Many of Ohio’s salamanders mea- son, Smallmouthed, or Tiger salaman- sorbed through the moist skin and the sure only a few inches in length. They ders to produce offspring in a reproduc- lining of the mouth. Lungless salaman- range in color from earth tones to red, tive system that is unique to this group. ders should not be held in one’s hands orange, and yellow and often have In many cases these offspring have one, for more than a few seconds. If their skin spots, stripes, or dots. Most of Ohio’s two, or even three extra sets of chromo- should dry out, they will suffocate due to 25 species of salamanders belong to somes and can closely resemble any of their inability to absorb oxygen through either the Lungless Family (Plethod- the parental species. It is usually im- their skin. Air is drawn through the nos- ontidae) or the Mole Family (Ambys- possible to give a species name to these trils into the mouth by means of muscles tomatidae). Some salamanders retain unisexual salamanders without compli- in the throat. Some lungless salamanders gills throughout life. Others have both cated DNA analysis. They range over will drown if submerged in water for gills and lungs. Some start with gills the western two-thirds of the state and long periods of time. Members of this and later develop lungs. Four of these are the most common group of mole family are also characterized by a shal- species have been placed on the ODNR salamanders in Ohio. Division of Wildlife endangered spe- low groove, the nasolabial groove, from cies list because they are so scarce. the nostril down to the lip, although this feature is not always conspicuous. easTern HellbendeR Cryptobranchus alleganiensis Length 111/2 – 27 in. (30-51 cm.) In spite of its formidable appear- ance, the Eastern Hellbender is quite harmless. Hellbenders can reach 27” in length making it the largest am- phibian in the state. Found mostly in unglaciated (south and east) Ohio, Hellbenders prefer large, swift flow- ing streams where they hide during the day under large rocks. Although Hellbenders have lungs, the major organ of oxygen/carbon di- oxide exchange is the loose wrinkled skin. Adult Hellbenders do not have gills but they do have a single gill slit 5 located on each side of the neck. They breed in late August or September. The female lays up to 500 eggs in a nest the male excavates under a large Family Cryptobranchidae flat rock. Sometimes several females use the same nest. Hellbenders differ from other salamanders in that the male does not fertilize the eggs until after they have been laid. Young Hell- benders hatch in two to three months and retain their gills until they are 1 about 1 /2 years old. ENDANGERED common MudpUppy Necturus maculosus Length 8–13 in. (20-33 cm.) Mudpuppies inhabit Lake Erie, large rivers, and streams, through- out Ohio. Since they are essentially nocturnal and will tolerate deep, muddy water, they are seldom seen. They feed on crayfish, aquatic insects, and just about anything else they can scavenge. Notice the broad, flattened head, the distinctive, squarish snout, tiny inconspicuous eyes, and the bushy red gills. These give the mud- puppy a sinister appearance. Despite their looks, Mudpuppies are com- pletely harmless to people. 6 Young Mudpuppies mature when they are about five years old and eight inches long. They never un- Family Proteidae dergo complete metamorphosis and retain their gills throughout life. ReD-spotteD NewT Notophthalmus viridescens Length 3 – 4 in. (7.5-10 cm.) Although most salamanders do not become land dwellers until they have reached a terres- trial juvenile stage, just the opposite is true with newts. About three or four months after hatch- ing, the tiny larva loses its gills, acquires lungs, and begins life on land in the Red Eft immature state. Unlike the adult newt, the eft’s bright red- orange skin is somewhat dry and rough. Its tail is rounded, much like a lizard’s, rather than wedge-shaped. During the next two to three years, it will for- age on the forest floor, often wandering about during the day, especially during or just after a rain. Although it is conspicuous during this Red 7 Eft stage, other animals seldom bother it because its skin glands produce irritating secretions. During the third year of its life, a remarkable Family Salamandridae transition occurs. The skin becomes slimy and changes from orange to olive green. The tail be- comes broad and wedge-shaped, and the body looks more like that of a salamander than a liz- ard. At this point, the salamander returns to wa- ter to breed and remains there for the rest of its life as a mature Red-spotted Newt. Newts occur sporadically throughout our state in permanent or semi-permanent bodies of water bordered by relatively undisturbed woodlands. Red Eft (immature newt) StreaMside salaMandeR A m b y s t o m a b a r b o u r i Length 41/2 – 51/2 in. (11.5-14 cm.) It is almost identical to the Small- mouthed Salamander in appearance, but differs in several small, important characteristics.