New York has more than 15 species of salamanders (also known as newts).
But you’ve only seen one if you’ve been hiking in the Adirondacks or on Long Island!
So here’s an introduction to these amazing amphibians and where you can find them to finally get to know different types of salamanders in New York!
1. Eastern Newt
Eastern newts are one of the most common types of salamanders in New York. They prefer moist conditions and can be found throughout eastern North America and southern Canada. They have a small head, a slender body, and a tail longer than their body.
Eastern newts are primarily aquatic and spend most of their time on land at night or after heavy rain, but they also live near water during the day.
These types of salamanders in New York feed on insects, slugs, snails, earthworms, and amphibian eggs.
Female eastern newts lay eggs from late March through early October that are about 2 inches long by 1/4 inch wide.
2. Spotted Salamander
The spotted salamander is an aquatic species that lives near swift-moving mountain streams and other bodies of water.
The spotted salamander has a slender body with four toes on its front feet and five on its back feet. It has two longitudinal, dorsal stripes, with the spots positioned at their center; these are most distinct during the breeding season.
The spotted salamander is a slim-bodied amphibian found near swift-moving mountain streams and other bodies of water.
The body of this amphibian is slender, but it has four toes on its front feet and five on its back feet. Spotted salamanders have two longitudinal, dorsal stripes most prominent during the breeding season.
3. Common Mudpuppy
The Common Mudpuppy is a giant salamander that can grow up to 12 inches long. These salamanders in New York are very common and can be found throughout much of eastern North America and parts of Central America and South America.
The head, body, and tail are covered with bony plates called scutes.
These scutes give them their rough appearance. The color ranges from dark brown or black to light brown or yellowish-tan. They have four toes on each foot that enable them to swim quickly through mud and water for short distances at a time.
4. Red-backed Salamander
The red-backed salamander has a range that spans from Eastern Canada to the Appalachian Mountains. These salamanders in New York spend most of their time in forests and are typically found near water sources.
Red-backed salamanders are a type of lungless salamander, meaning they breathe entirely through their skin and do not have lungs.
As larvae, they are aquatic and eat aquatic insects, fish, tadpoles, and small crayfish. These salamanders in New York can also be found under logs or leaves on land during this stage of life.
Growing into adults, they live for about five years and reproduce by laying eggs in moist soil near ponds or streams.
5. Four-Toed Salamander
The Four-Toed Salamander is a species that is quite common in New York. These salamanders in New York are nocturnal and can be found near water sources such as ponds, streams, rivers, and lakes. The size of these salamanders ranges from one inch to three inches long.
These types of salamanders in New York have a brownish-black body with four tours on their front feet and five toes on their back feet.
These salamanders have slim bodies that are ideal for squeezing through tight spaces. They will secrete an odor from glands near their tail that smells of rotten eggs. This can serve as a defense mechanism for them.
6. Marbled Salamander
Marbled salamanders are one of the more common salamanders in New York. They can be found throughout North America and have several unique features, including their dark spots.
They are typically brown with darker patches on their back and sides and lighter spots on their underbelly, which resembles marble.
Marbled salamanders have small heads with beady black eyes and short legs. These types of salamanders in New York can grow up to eight inches long, while females tend to be shorter at around five inches.
They spend most of their time hidden underground or under logs or rocks during periods when they are not breeding or feeding.
7. Northern Dusky Salamander
The Northern Dusky Salamander is one of five salamanders in New York. These creatures are between 3-5 inches long and have slender bodies. They are usually dark brown, black, or gray with a reddish or orange underbelly.
In these types of salamanders in New York, the skin on their back is often lighter than the color on their stomach, which can help distinguish them from other salamanders.
The Northern Dusky Salamander can be found in wet forests and woodlands, usually near water sources such as ponds, streams, lakes, and rivers. They spend most of their time underground but sometimes surface during the breeding season to look for mates.
8. Red Salamander
The red salamander is one of the most common types of salamander in New York, and it can be found throughout the state. They are usually about six inches long and have a dark red color.
These salamanders in New York live near water and can be found under logs or rocks during the day or at night when they come out to hunt for food.
The red salamander typically eats slugs, insects, worms, spiders, and other small animals like frogs, lizards, and other salamanders.
9. Hellbender
The hellbender is a giant salamander found in the northeastern United States. It inhabits clean, clear streams and rivers with rocky bottoms.
These salamanders in New York, called Hellbenders, are typically seen on rocks or logs lying partially out of the water, where they eat crayfish, fish, and other aquatic invertebrates.
Hellbenders have brownish-black skin that changes color between wet and dry environments. They can grow up to 2 feet long, but most adults measure about 12 inches from nose to tail tip.
10. Northern Two-lined Salamander
The northern two-lined salamander is a small (2.5-3.5 inches long) brown mole salamander with a white or yellowish stripe running down its back from head to tail. It spends most of its time underground and lives under logs, rocks, and other surface debris.
The two-lined salamanders in New York are active foragers that feed on ants, beetles, spiders, earthworms, and slugs.
The northern two-lined salamander has a life span of about seven years and lays eggs in late summer or early fall, which hatch the following spring.
11. Blue-spotted Salamander
The blue-spotted salamander is one of five species of New York salamanders indigenous to New York. It is a relatively small salamander, with adults measuring 2.8-4.6 inches long and 1.5-2.5 inches wide at its widest point (the head).
The blue-spotted salamander lives primarily under rocks and logs but has also been found under piles of leaves or sawdust near water sources like creeks and streams.
The blue-spotted salamander is typically active during the day (diurnal) but will become more nocturnal as it grows older and larger, usually from September through May.
12. Long-tailed Salamander
The long-tailed salamander is a small, slender amphibian that lives on or near land throughout North America.
These salamanders in New York are usually a dark brown with a light stripe running down the length of their back. A long-tailed salamander usually has an average lifespan of four years.
These creatures are typically nocturnal, meaning they come out at night and spend their days hidden under rocks or logs.
They have toes that allow them to cling tightly to rocks and logs so that they don’t fall off into water where they would not be able to survive for very long. Long-tailed salamanders live both in forests and on grassy plains and are known for being secretive animals.
13. Spring Salamander
The spring salamander is a small, worm-like amphibian found throughout the country. These types of salamanders in New York species are usually dark brown or black and will grow up to about 5 inches long.
The first three pairs of legs are short, while the fourth pair has long toes that allow it to climb trees and rocks.
Spring salamanders are nocturnal creatures, which means they spend their days hiding under logs and stones and coming out at night to feed on ants, spiders, slugs, worms, moths, and other insects.
However, spring salamanders have one interesting adaptation that helps them survive cold winters: they can lower their body temperatures below freezing without harm.
14. Northern Slimy Salamander
The Northern Slimy Salamander is a species of salamander that only inhabits parts of New York. It ranges from one to two inches long and has dark, slimy skin that blends into wet environments.
These salamanders in New York are nocturnal creatures and will spend much of the day hiding under rocks or tree bark.
Their diet consists mainly of insects, but they have also been known to eat tiny frogs and salamanders if they can get their hands on them.
15. Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander
The Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander is found in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and western Maryland. It can grow up to four inches long.
This salamander was familiar in the past, but it has now been placed on the IUCN Red List due to its decreasing numbers.
This salamander inhabits mountain streams and rock crevices. These salamanders in New York females lay eggs during late summer or early fall that hatch into larvae, which turn into adults by April.
The Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander feeds on amphipods, isopods, insects, spiders, small mollusks, and other arthropods.
