Jordan's Salamander
| Red-cheeked salamander | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Caudata |
| Family: | Plethodontidae |
| Genus: | Plethodon |
| Species: | P. jordani |
| Binomial name | |
|
Plethodon jordani Blatchley, 1901 |
|
The red-cheeked salamander or Jordan's salamander (Plethodon jordani) is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the United States. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The red-cheeked salamander is a uniform steely grey colour with conspicuous red, orange or yellow patches on the side of the head. The imitator salamander (Desmognathus imitator) is thought to be a mimic and is very similar in appearance but has a pale line joining jaw to eye and more robust hind legs.
The red-cheeked salamander is found in mountainous areas of the south eastern United States. The main populations are along the border between North Carolina and Tennessee but separate populations occurs in Rabun County, Georgia. The altitude range is 210 to 1950 metres (700 to 6400 ft) but few specimens are found below 600 metres (2,000 ft). Almost the whole altitude range occurs within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The red-cheeked salamander is a terrestrial species and is found in both hardwood and coniferous forests, particularly in red spruce and Fraser fir woodland. It is plentiful in areas with a ground cover of moss and leaf litter among large boulders.
The red-cheeked salamander conceals itself during the day under rocks and in or under rotten logs. It has extensive shallow burrows through which it can move about. At night and during rain it emerges onto the surface to forage. Each salamander has a small home range which is about 11 square metres (120 sq ft) for a male and 2.8 square metres (30 sq ft) for a female. When displaced by a distance of 300 metres (980 ft) or more, most salamanders managed to return to their home. The red-cheeked salamander feeds on small invertebrates including worms, snails, springtails, spiders, insects and insect larvae.
...
Wikipedia