Salamanders are important indicator species. They are very susceptible to toxins and pollutants, so their presence can help scientists understand how healthy a habitat may or may not be.
In the late winter and early spring, the amphibians make an annual migration from their winter homes in the woods to seasonal ponds, known as vernal pools, where they mate and lay eggs. Salamanders will make the move in fits and spurts, but there are usually one or two nights where they move en masse.
MetroParks of Butler County has been monitoring the salamander migration at Indian Creek MetroPark in Reily Township near Oxford, and led a nighttime hike there Sunday. It's part of the organization's "Nature in a Blink" series that aims to highlight fleeting natural occurrences.
"People want to care for our environment once they understand it," says Programming and Events Outdoor Educator PJ Arnold. "Once the public sees salamanders up close and learns more about them, they are more likely to care what happens to them and the role they can play in protecting them."
There are 25 salamander species in Ohio. The state amphibian is the spotted salamander. Hike participants discovered a bunch of those Sunday. Arnold says park staff have recorded several other varieties there, too.
"When we were here Saturday, they were all throughout the trail, different types too, not just the yellow spotted that we've seen tonight. There were red-backed [salamanders] and some other ones that we were able to find," he says. "Based on what we saw [Saturday], everything is doing really well."
He adds, "This vernal pond has been doing fantastically well. ... We did find some of the two-lined salamanders last year. I didn't see any this year, so far. There have been people — especially in some of the other parks — that have even found cave salamanders, too."
Cave salamanders are listed as endangered in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife's Amphibians of Ohio Field Guide is available to help you identify all kinds of salamanders, newts, frogs, toads — and if you're lucky — the endangered Eastern Hellbender. It's the state's largest amphibian, reaching up to 27 inches in length.
