Spring is finally here. The snow is melting, the days are warming and animals are waking up from their long winter sleeps.
While hibernating bears and migrating birds are the poster children for spring awakenings, an oft-forgotten long hibernator and migrator is emerging as well and making a perilous journey under the cover of night.
This is the annual march of the salamanders.
A Jefferson salamander during migration. Photo by Kim Snyder.
Mole salamanders are a family of amphibians that spend the majority of their lives underground. They burrow into leaf litter and hunt invertebrates. When fall nights start to get crisp and cool, they burrow deeper and deeper into the ground. They overwinter under the frozen soil, immobile and protected from falling snow or predators. But when the sun starts to warm the deep forest soils and rain replaces snow, the amphibians stir awake. On warm, wet nights, they claw their way out of the soil and into the air.
The first thing they do is make the longest journey of their lives.
Still muddy and sluggish from their time in hibernation, the salamanders march across field, forest, and pavement following a familiar scent to their destination. At times, there can be entire waves of them swarming across roads and down hillsides. Occasionally, the mass of salamanders scoops up an unsuspecting migrating frog and hurry it along towards their collective destination — a vernal pool.
Vernal pools are fragile and yet resilient and important pieces of forest ecosystems. Ephemeral in nature, many don’t last the summer, as they rely on snowpack and rainfall for all of their water. But from March through September, these pools are nurseries of choice for our migrating salamanders as well as frogs, and toads. Adult salamanders swarm to the pools on wet nights in spring, believed to be drawn by scent memory.
Once submerged in the icy water, male salamanders waft pheromones underwater to draw females to them. Egg masses appear shortly after; thick gelatinous cases protecting tiny black eggs. A single mouthful of this caviar is a choice meal for a fish or turtle, hence why the pools must be seasonal. No fish can live in a pond that dries up for part of the year. The amphibian larvae call this pool home until the home evaporates around them. They grow in opposition to the disappearing water, gills becoming lungs just before all evidence of the pool vanishes into the ground — if they are lucky.
Of course, before the larvae can even begin to tempt fate, their parents must make the perilous journey to this spot. Migrating salamanders travel in as straight of a path as they can, with no regard for obstacles or changes in terrain. Often, this results in them crossing a road.
Salamander deaths from being hit by cars are hard to predict for several reasons. For one, the driver may not even realize they hit a salamander, as all of them cross the road in darkness. Also, amphibian roadkill is quickly consumed by nearby predators, making it hard to get an accurate count.
The good news is, the importance of protecting salamanders from road crossings is growing and more people are creating ways to help these little amphibians reach their destinations safely. More and more people are discovering the magic of spring amphibian migrations and joining in ways to protect their local salamanders.
How to see the salamander migration
Salamander migrations are one of the invisible highlights of spring. Unlike some other natural phenomena, they require a little more effort to witness. Since this particular event takes place entirely after dark, careful planning is a must! A little bit of research can pay off in some truly unforgettable moments.
1. Find a vernal pool or wetland where amphibians breed! A good method is to listen at dusk near wetland areas for frogs. If you can hear calling frogs, there’s a good chance salamanders are also breeding in those pools! Google maps and online resources such as this Vernal Pool Guide can help you to locate your local pools. You want to look for a forested area with a lot of natural basins or depressions. Be sure to either go to pools on public land or ask permission to enter private property.
2. Prepare for some “warm”, rainy nights. Ideal conditions for spotting the migrating salamanders are rainy nights in March or April where the temperature is above freezing (usually 40-60F is best) and the road is wet. If you can find a stretch of wooded road near a wetland or pond, there’s a good chance frogs or salamanders are going to cross there. If you do plan to watch for crossing salamanders along a road, wear reflective clothing, carry a flashlight, and be careful of passing motorists.
3. Learn more about your local species. Many species of salamander rely on vernal pools and similar wetlands for their breeding activity. See what species live near you by visiting your state’s fish and game website or asking your local nature center. You may live near fall-breeding species like marbled salamanders or have more species to keep an eye out for on Big Nights.
4. Find a crossing brigade! In the northeast, we have communities called the “salamander crossing brigades” that gather on Big Nights to aid amphibians in crossing the roads. These volunteers walk known salamander migration roads at night to safely help migrating salamanders cross busy roads. Watch a video about a crossing brigade at work below:
The author with a spotted salamander at a crossing brigade on a Big Night! Photo by Megan Ormsby
There might be something similar near you, depending on where you are or a network of salamander watchers who know where they go.
Finding salamanders really does require a lot of luck but once you know the right places and conditions, you might find that you get a whole lot luckier!
