Four-toed Salamander

The Four-toed Salamander is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) is a lungless salamander native to eastern North America. It is a monotypic species of the Hemidactylium genus. (In Francophone Canada, it is called the salamandre à quatre orteils. More

The Four-toed salamander can be recognized by its white underbelly sprinkled with black dots. Its back varies from orange-brownish to red-brownish; its flanks are grayish. The body and the limbs are elongated, the snout is short and the eyes are prominent. More

Four-toed salamanders (Hemidactylium scutatum) were documented for the first time in Minnesota in 1994 by the Minnesota County Biological Survey and Chippewa National Forest biologists, while conducting cooperative survey work in Itasca County. More

Appearance Four-toed salamanders have four toes on each of their feet, while other terrestrial salamanders in Minnesota have five toes on their back feet. More

The Four-toed Salamander is a relatively small salamander with adults typically only reaching lengths of 2 to 3.5 inches (5 to 10cm). As its name implies, the Four-toed Salamander can be readily identified from the presence of only four toes on each hind foot. More

the Four-toed Salamander lives in underground burrows or under logs and other debris on the moist forest floor. More

the Four-toed Salamander, a small and cryptic species about which very little is known. These 2-4 inch long salamanders live in specialized habitats of wetlands with slow-moving shallow waters that have mossy hummocks for nesting. More

The Four-toed Salamander is orange to reddish brown above with patches of black spots. It is the only white-bellied salamander in Nova Scotia. Its hind feet have four toes instead of five. This salamander species has no lungs. More

Four-toed salamanders (Hemidactylium scutatum), a species of special concern, prefer northern and southern hardwood forests and to a lesser degree, conifer swamps. They overwinter from November through late March by burrowing underground to avoid freezing. More

Eggs of four-toed salamanders in Sphagnum moss. ©Saenger photo Four-toed Salamander Notice that both the hind and forefeet have only four toes. ©USDAFS/John Jensen photo NH Conservation Status: Not listed. More

The Four-toed Salamander’s distribution is patchy across much of its range. The most continuous distribution extends from Maine west to southeastern Ontario and south through the middle of Ohio to northern Georgia. More

Through the years, the four-toed salamander has been given several different scientific names. These names reflect different scientists' opinions about the four-toed salamander's relationship to other salamander species. More

The Four-toed Salamander is state-listed as a species of special concern in several states within its range. Tennessee lists this species as “in need of management”. More

Habitat: You can find four-toed salamanders in hardwood forests during the summer. During the spring the females migrate to sphagnum bogs or to a vernal pool to breed. More

Description: The Four-toed Salamander is a relatively small species, reaching adult lengths of only 3 to 4 inches. Its body is brown (occasionally tinted green) with red, black, or gray mottling and brighter colored limbs. Their underbelly is generally off-white with dark flecks. More

The four-toed salamander is Connecticut's smallest salamander. More

In the mountains, the four-toed salamander is associated sphagnum bogs and grassy fens (Wilson 1995). More

Four-toed salamanders are found in southern Ontario, southwestern Quebec, Nova Scotia and Fundy National Park in New Brunswick. They are also many of them east of the Mississippi River in the United States. More

The Four-toed Salamander is one of our three small, slender salamanders along with the Red-backed and Northern Two-lined. It is our only terrestrial salamander that has four toes on its rear feet. Adults range from 3-4 inches long. More

The Four-toed Salamander is an alert-looking little amphibian that is active from late winter to late fall. As its name suggests, the number of toes (four, on his hind feet), distinquish it from other salamanders who have five toes on their hind feet. More

The four-toed salamander is called the four-toed salamander because it has four toes on its hind feet. (Makes sense, huh?) All the rest of Wisconsin's land dwelling salamanders have five. Its dark, slender, greenish-brown body is mottled with bronze and black. More

Description: The four-toed salamander is a fairly small salamander with the unmistakeable combination of four toes on each rear foot, a constriction at the base of the tail, and a white belly with bold black spots. More

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PREDATORS: The four-toed salamander is most likely preyed upon by snakes, birds, and shrews. In defense the salamander may secrete noxious gas to get rid of the predator. FOOD: Their main source of food comes from zooplankton and other common invertebrates. More

The four-toed salamander lives close to boggy woodland ponds and swamps where it hides beneath logs, rocks, slabs of bark, and even leaves. More

make a living, Four-toed Salamanders crawl about in the soggy moss. More

Four-toed Salamanders are probably the hardest of the vernal pool salamanders to find, and to successfully ferret them out requires some knowledge of their habitats and a lot of careful searching. More