Eastern Red-backed Salamander
Plethodon cinereus
A small lungless salamander of moist deciduous and mixed forests, usually found beneath logs, stones, bark, and leaf litter. It hunts tiny invertebrates such as springtails, mites, ants, beetle larvae, and worms, often making short lunges from cover. This species lays eggs on land and has direct development, so the young hatch as miniature salamanders rather than aquatic larvae. Its red-backed and lead-backed color forms can occur in the same population, helping it blend into different forest-floor backgrounds.
- Type
- Stealth
- Conservation status
- LC