Eastern Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) lives in moist woodland across Eastern North America. It feeds on insects and worms. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
- A 5.7-10.0 cm (2.2-3.9 in) salamander that never grew lungs, so it must breathe through its skin. Because its skin is permeable, the red-backed salamander can only live where moisture stays high enough for cutaneous gas exchange. This physiological lock-step ties every move, from foraging under a log to hibernating underground, to the micro-climate.
- Red-backed salamanders dominate the chilly north, while their lead-backed cousins flee the cold. The red-backed form is found with greater frequency in colder regions at more northerly latitudes, whereas lead-backed morphs pull back from surface activity earlier in autumn. At 15 °C lead-backs show significantly lower metabolic rates, hinting they tolerate cool temps less well. These climate-linked color shifts reveal natural selection sculpting behavior and physiology across the species' range.
- When the forest dries, striped salamanders cling to moist logs and feast on springtails, while the unstriped (lead-backed) individuals wander into drier leaf litter and eat a wider menu. In the fall, the striped salamanders eat more entomobryomorph Collembola, whereas the unstriped morph can forage in drier leaf litter. Studies show the unstriped morph has a broader diet and encounters prey the striped morph does not, linking habitat preference to food diversity and survival strategy.
- Acidic soils choke red-backed salamanders: they vanish below pH 3.7. The species prefers neutral ground, thriving in soils of about pH 3.8 or higher. Low pH slows growth, hampers respiration, and raises chronic mortality, making soil acidity a powerful filter on population density.
- Because three salamanders can occupy every square metre of leaf litter, a hectare may hold 30 000 individuals, enough biomass to outweigh many birds and mammals in the same forest.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeEastern North America
HabitatMoist woodland
DietInsects and worms
About the Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
In the damp, leaf-littered recesses of the forest floor, the Eastern Red-Backed Salamander weaves a subtle path, its slender body undulating as it navigates the intricate network of twigs and ferns. With eyes like dark, shining jewels, it surveys its surroundings, ever vigilant for the slightest tremor or whisper of potential prey, its remarkable adaptability allowing it to thrive in a wide range of habitats. As it moves, the salamander's distinctive red dorsal stripe flashes like a fleeting ember, a vibrant splash of color in the otherwise muted tones of the forest understorey.
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