Family Ambystomatidae (Mole salamanders)

Domain: EucaryaKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: AmphibiaOrder: Caudata Phenology

Ambystomatidae Species Discovered in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Species Common Name Photo Where? Phenology
Ambystoma maculatumSpotted salamander HerePhenology
Ambystoma opacumMarbled salamander HerePhenology
Ambystoma speciesMole salamander species(NA) HerePhenology
Ambystoma talpoideumMole salamander HerePhenology

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Note: Taxa on this list are only those contained in the ATBI database,
and do not neccessarily include all Park taxa from historic park reports, literature,
or other sources that have not yet been entered
in the Biodiversity Database.
Also note: where part of the taxon name is species,
it means that the taxon name has not yet been agreed upon by taxonomists for this group,
or that it was not identified to this level.

In Case You Didn't Know ...
Mole salamanders may live 10-15 or more years! Mole salamanders are terrestrial, and are identified by having wide, protruding eyes, prominent costal grooves, and relatively thick arms.
The adults of this family spend most of their time in holes and burrows created by themselves or by other burrowers.
Female mole salamanders lay large clumps of eggs in water. Young (larvae) hatch out and breath underwater using 3 pairs of external gills. These dissappear as the young animals metamorphose into the adult land-dwelling form.

Adults are opportunistic feeders, willingly consuming any available invertebrate they find.

Taxon References for Ambystomatidae

Dodd, C. Kenneth. 2004. The Amphibians of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Dodd, C. Kenneth. 2003. Monitoring Amphibians in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. U.S. Geological Survey circular; 1258.


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