Northern Red Salamander

The northern red salamander (Pseudotriton ruber ruber) is easy to identify. It is a bright red with black spots and its eyes are a bright yellow. Older adults loose some of their brightness and look sometimes even purplish. Like the dusky salamander, it is a member of the lungless salamander family.

Typical foods of the red salamander include earthworms, centipedes, other salamanders and small frogs.

Breeding begins in September. Eggs, fifty to one hundred, are laid and hatch in the late fall. The larvae will remain in the water for up to three years before metamorphosis is complete. An adult red salamander will be 4.5 to 6 inches long.

Red salamanders prefer habitats of in and around cold, clean springs and brooks, living under logs, moss and rocks. Ohio is the western most edge of the red salamander's range. Except for a small population around Cincinnati, the red salamander is found only in the eastern half of Ohio.