Herpetophauna of the Eco Plot

1. Marker 2

2. Spotted Salamander
Ambystoma maculatum
• Habitat: Deciduous or mixed
hardwood-coniferous forest; Spend
most of their lives hidden under
rocks or logs
• Food Habits: Carnivores; Only feed
at night
• Appearance: Dorsal side has two
rows of large, irregular yellow spots
that extend from head to tip of tail
• Other: Very sensitive to water
acidity and ecological changes. Pet
trade and habitat loss has greatly
reduced population numbers

3. Northern Spring Peeper
Pseudacris crucifer
• Habitat: Forest floor of
deciduous woodlands and
swamps
• Food Habits: Carnivores; Feed
primarily at night
• Appearance: The back has a
large X-shaped mark and the
top of the head has a dark bar
that extends from eye to eye
• Other: In mid-March, males can
be heard whistling at night as
mating season begins

4. Eastern American Toad
Anaxyrus americanus
• Habitat: Found in open areas
like fields or in forests
• Food Habits: Adults are
generalist carnivores but
tadpoles are herbivores
• Appearance: Two large warts
behind each eye; prominent
cranial crests and parotioid
glands
• Other: They have poison glands
but some predators are not
affected by the poison. They
often inflate their bodies and
urinate on themselves to ward
off predators

5. Eastern Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina carolina
• Habitat: Deciduous forests and
fields; They will stay in the
same area as long as recourses
are present
• Food Habits: Omnivores as
adults but carnivores when
they are hatchlings
• Appearance: Carapace is
yellow/bright orange with
brown areas; Flesh is usually
orange
• Other: One of the only species
of turtle that can completely
close their shell; This provides
increased protection from
predators

6. Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
Plethodon cinereus
• Habitat: Deciduous and coniferous
forests
• Food Habits: Carnivores that forage
shortly after it rains
• Appearance: There are three types:
Unstriped Morph which does not
have a middorsal stripe, Striped
Morph, which has a bright red
dorsal stripe, and The Red Morph
which has bright red coloration all
over its body
• Other: Threatened by habitat
destruction due to logging;
Pollutants like herbicides and
pesticides are also a threat to this
species

7. Works Cited
• http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/american_toad/
• http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/spring-peeper/?source=A-to-Z
• http://www.infoturtle.com/eastern-box-turtle/
• http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Anaxyrus_americanus/