Rare Ringed Salamanders

A Ringed Salamander found in a pond near Clifty Arkansas

The ringed salamander (Ambystoma annulatum) is secretive and endemic to the Ozarks.
Once upon a time these salamanders were seen by the hundreds each autumn, but
now you are lucky to see just one in your lifetime. These endangered amphibians
live under log, rocks, and in the ground. Their main defense is to hide
themselves away. They have soft black bodies striped with yellow so camouflage
fails them. Their tiny legs make it look laborious to walk and they are fairly
defenseless especially when as an egg or tadpole. Therefore, they live hidden,
eating grubs and worms all year.

Once a year they emerge from hiding to mate and lay eggs in the clean fishless pond
they were born in but finding clean water without fish is becoming harder and
harder. The mating event always takes place on the first cool rainy night in
autumn. This year we had a cool rainy night in late September, but then again
this past week we had another similar night. The ringed salamander took
advantage of both nights and matted twice this year. Both times, I was lucky
enough to see one at the Ozark Natural Science Center where I work as a teacher/naturalist.

This first time I saw a ringed salamander it was trucking across the trail at ONSC after the students had all been sent to bed in the lodges. Only the teacher naturalists remained awake and we were making our way to bed when we found a salamander out in the open on a trail near the pond. We watched it walk on stubby legs, its long fat tail slithering like a snake’s behind it. I felt privileged to witness its annual journey by night but disappointed that I
didn’t have my camera.

The second time was during the day, after the rain we had this past week, when I
had a group of students from Bentonville’s Barker Middle School. My group
crowded around a log where we had found a ringed salamander hiding. It tried to
dig itself to safety at first but eventually gave up and crawled along the
ground close to the log. My students, a group of ten 5^th graders,
were mesmerized. They sat silently watching it with awe and respect. I knew
that this was the first time any of them had seen a salamander. Many of them
didn’t even know what it was until I told them.

While they watched the salamander, I read and discussed all I knew about the species.
I told the children that they only come out once a year, so this is a specially
occasion. They lay from 300-500 eggs but 99 percent of those eggs will never
mature into adults, many will be eaten as caviar, others as salamander
tadpoles, and many more as young adults. The ones that survive will not be able
to reproduce until five to eight years of age, which is a long time for such a
venerable creature. Also by breathing through their skin any type of pollution
in the water or soil will kill them. Their mere existence is a biological indication of
a pollution free environment. As they got to know this fantastic creature, I
encouraged them to name it. They couldn’t choose between Sally or Steve until I
informed them that because it was smaller in size it was most likely a male but
it would be hard to be sure. He became Steve the Salamander and with that he
was no longer a forigen wild animal but a friend.

The experience changed their perspective immediatly. For the rest of our time
together, two days and one night, they were respectful and in awe of everything
we found. They named every caterpillar, spider, and millipede we found,
befriending all species. An old man once told me, “You can’t force
children to grow up and protect nature, you have to teach them to love it, then
they will WANT to protect it!” I think that Steve the Salamander may have
taught these kids such love.