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northern slimy salamander

northern slimy salamander (Plethodon glutinosus)
Photo © Dr. Todd Pierson

Features and Behaviors

FEATURES
The northern slimy salamander averages four and three-fourths to six and three-fourths inches in length. Its body color is black or blue-black with white flecks. The belly is usually lighter than the back.

BEHAVIORS
The northern slimy salamander lives on wooded hillsides under rocks. In dry conditions, it may retreat to the interior of rotten logs or under ground. It is nocturnal. It is quick and slimy. The female deposits 10 to 20 eggs in rotten logs or rock crevices in early summer. The female guards the eggs until they hatch in late summer or early fall. The entire larval period is spent within the egg, unlike most amphibians. Hatchlings and adults are terrestrial. The northern slimy salamander eats arthropods and annelids.

Illinois Range

Taxonomy

​Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Caudata
Family: Plethodontidae

Illinois Status: common, native