Yellow Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)
The SouthCoast endured torrential rains on the evening of March 27th with temperatures in the 50s. Â While the flooding may have been inconvenient for humans, yellow spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) saw this moment as a golden opportunity to venture from winter woodlands to swampy wetlands for their annual mating aggregation, known as a congress. Â See Yellow Spotted Salamander for the full story.
Spotted Salamander Larva Develops Gills and Stabilizers
Five and a half weeks later, the Turtle Journal team visited these SouthCoast congress locations to assess the development of spotted salamander larvae. Â They have reached the stage of gill and stabilizer development.
Individual Sac Holds Each Developing Spotted Salamander
As we have documented in previous articles on spotted salamander eggs, each larva is held in an individual sac. Â See Spotted Salamanders: From Eggs to Larvae, April 22nd, 2010.
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Development of Spotted Salamander Eggs and Larvae
Combining original Turtle Journal footage (in color) with (black and white) material from Yale University in 1920, we document the development phases of spotted salamander eggs.
Spotted Salamander Larva Develops Gills and Stabilizers
In the last 5 1/2 weeks larvae seem to have progressed to nearly release state within their individual protective sacs. Â At approximately this stage of development in 2010, we began to observe a few larvae free swimming in vernal pools adjacent to an abandoned cranberry bog in Marion, MA on the SouthCoast.