Baby Salamander

I found a salamander last weekend. We kept him for a few days then let him go.

Today, I found three of them under two different boards, one of which was a baby! Here he is on my hand. He was faster than the adults but only about 1" long. I held him for 3 minutes then put him back where I found him.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...salamander.jpg

He is just a little guy/gal lol

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Originally Posted by joepythons

He is just a little guy/gal lol

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Yes, miniature! I was amazed. Still waiting for something more than salamanders or the early (in rehab) black rat snake though.

Looks like a newt.. they're really cute aren't they?

what a weird little tail!

Yeah, very weird tail. I don't know if it's from an injury or something to do with being a baby.

I did further research. Boy, is it hard to ID these little fellas. It is driving me crazy and burning up time! First, I thought it was a "Valley and Ridge Salamander," given what the adults I found looked like.

http://www.marshall.edu/herp/Salaman...i-virginia.htm

http://www.amazilia.net/images/Herps...Salamander.htm

But now, I wonder if it could possibly be a Four-Toed Salamander (4 toes on rear feet), which is supposed to be in the next county over. Here are two pictures of the first adult I found on 3/29. One is a general shot of him on my son's arm. The next is a close up of his rear legs. Tell me what you think. Thanks!
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...salamander.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...der_4_toes.jpg

I have emailed a professor at Marshall University to ask for help identifying it.

Thanks for pushing me to learn, Shelby! :D

I don't know many newt/salamander species.. hope you find out what it is! I think newts are more aquatic than salamanders.. so on second thought, I think yours IS a salamander after all.. just a little slender one. it's really adorable!

Finally a nice day today in Jersey! I found a bunch of salamanders and thought that they looked just like one I had seen posted on ball-pythons.net. After coming back, looking at your pictures and doing some research I am sure they are the same thing. They are redbacked salamanders. They have a very wide range and are very common. "These little salamanders are so common that if you could catch every vertebrate (backboned animal) in the forests of Pennsylvania and weigh the species separately, the redback salamanders would weigh the most – even more than all of the white-tailed deer."!! http://www.churchvillenaturecenter.o...878/index.html
That site has lots of good info on them.

They come in 2 phases. Redback and leadback phase (self explanatory). The redbacks vary in the amount of red. All of the ones I found were leadbacks except for one. I will post some pics of him in a minute.

Google redback salamanders for a bunch of good pictures. It's hard to find pictures of their feet but upon close examination of many pictures, I concluded that they have 4 toes.

P.S. I'm no expert lol

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...2102_thumb.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...2414_thumb.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...3380_thumb.jpg

It seems kind of chunky in the pictures, but they were all pretty slender.

Something must have happened to that baby's tail. I found one that was teeny tiny as well. About an inch from tip to tail and it had a full tail.

Russell, (is that your name?)
Here is a photo of one of the salamanders I found yesterday, so I suspect you are right. He was under a cement block with one of the "leadback" phase salamanders. I guess I'm just waisting some professor's time by emailing him, unless he likes fanmail. :rofl:
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...r0409red01.jpg