Marbled Salamanders detected in metro Atlanta by the MAAMP and Agnes Scott Amphibian Biology Class!

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The Agnes Scott Biology of Amphibians continuing education class had an incredible field outing yesterday when we joined Metro Atlanta Amphibian Monitoring Program (MAAMP) community scientist Kate Carson at a new field site in the hopes of detecting Marbled Salamanders (Ambystoma opacum).

Jeff, Rob, Kate, Anna, Christian and Anthony on our urban expedition to find Marbled Salamanders.

Earlier in the year, The Nature Conservancy inadvertently unearthed a Marbled Salamander while removing invasive plants from the park. They reached out to us at the Amphibian Foundation and we were able to confirm this was only the second confirmed sighting of the species since the MAAMP began in 2014. Marbled Salamanders are considered 'common' throughout most if its range, but have suffered significant declines in developed and urban regions, probably due to loss of their breeding and upland habitats. Ephemeral (temporary) wetland breeding amphibians only use the wetland for a few weeks to a few months, and spend the majority of the time in the neighboring uplands. Therefore, these unique amphibians need two intact and unobstructed habitats in order to persist. If their pond is filled in or drained, or if a road is put in between their uplands and the breeding site, that will have a significant negative impact on amphibians migrating to the breeding pond each year.


A female Marbled Salamander (left) guarding eggs, and a male (right). Marbled Salamanders are sexually dimoprhic and females are generally grey, while the males are white.

Did you know? Marbled Salamanders, and other ephemeral wetland breeding amphibians are migratory, and return to the pond they were born in to reproduce — each year — for the rest of their lives. This phenomenon in known as site fidelity.

Anna found the first Marbled Salamander of the day!
We are about half-way through the semester of our Biology of Amphibians course at Agnes Scott, and we had a great time carefully flipping logs and finding salamanders!!!

A juvenile Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea) was detected in a rotten log.

For more information or to get involved in the MAAMP, visit the website.
For more information on the Agnes Scott Biology of Amphibians course, click here. The course is intended for adults but is open to all.

If you happen to find a nesting female, be careful not to disturb her, lest she abandon her eggs. Egg survival is dependent on the mother's expert care.

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