Small-mouth Salamander

The small-mouth salamander is a mole salamander of the central United States, ranging from the Great Lakes region in Michigan to Nebraska, south to Texas, and east to Tennessee, with a population on Pelee Island in Ontario, Canada. It reaches 4.5 to 7.0 inches long, black or dark brown with light gray or silvery flecking or blotching, a relatively small head, an elongated tail, a black belly, and 14 to 15 costal grooves, with males smaller than females. It is nocturnal and subterranean, favoring moist habitat near permanent water, and breeds in spring when groups gather near water and females lay up to 700 eggs in small clusters on underwater rocks or vegetation, feeding on insects, slugs, and earthworms. It is least concern globally, but its Pelee Island population in Canada is listed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.