Blue-spotted Salamander

Ambystoma laterale (Hallowell)

This blue-black salamander has pale blue spots on its sides, tail and legs. It is found in northern Nova Scotia and occasionally in Queens County, and Cape Breton, but not along the Atlantic coast.

Typical habitat

Salamander larvae

Blue-spotted Salamanders lay their eggs singly, at the base of plants or stones in the water. Look for them in ponds or ditches on damp nights from April to mid-May. During the day they usually remain under cover where they are not exposed to direct sunlight. In summer and fall they spend the days in damp forests, coming out at night to search the forest litter for food. You will only find one by turning over rocks, stumps or logs in the vicinity of aquatic breeding sites in the right part of the province. From late July to early December, newly transformed larvae leave their aquatic nursery to move to land habitats. You may see them crossing wet highways at night.

Blue-spotted Salamanders eat a variety of small invertebrates. While on land, they favour slugs and earthworms in spring, and snails, centipedes, earthworms and rove beetles in summer and fall.

There are some unusual genetic features of these salamanders - a few locations in northern Nova Scotia have populations with an extra set of chromosomes.

Find the salamander

Portrait of a Blue-spotted Salamander