Amphibian · GBIF taxon 2431491
Eastern Red-backed Salamander
Plethodon cinereusAlso known as Redback Salamander, Northern Red-backed Salamander
Eastern red-backed salamanders spend their entire lives on land, breathing completely through their moist skin and mouth lining without lungs. Females lay eggs under rotting logs or stones and aggressively guard their clutch until young hatch directly as fully formed miniature adults, skipping the aquatic larval stage. These abundant forest floor dwellers occur in two main color forms: a red-striped redback morph and a slate-gray leadback morph.
WoodlandLunglessTerrestrial
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Mites
- Springtails
- Ants
Predators
- Garter snakes
- Shrews
- Wild turkeys
ThreatsDeforestation, forest floor drying, and acid rain
HabitatsDeciduous and mixed northern hardwood forests under logs, rocks, and leaf litter
Life span5 to 10 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyPlethodontidae
- SpeciesPlethodon cinereus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Log management: Carefully roll logs and rocks back into place to preserve essential damp microclimates.
- Skin protection: Avoid handling because dry hands, skin oils, and soap residues easily harm salamander skin.
Forest Neighbor (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Co-occurring Amphibian (c) Matt Felperin, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matt Felperin · cc-by
Predator Wilson44691 / Public domain · cc0
Close Relative (c) Greg Schechter, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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