Nature

Are Yellow Spotted Salamanders Dangerous to the Touch?

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Yellow spotted salamanders can be found throughout North America, including Texas. They’re among some of the largest you can come across, where their counterparts have been known to be pretty tiny. If you happen to see one, it’s almost a miracle, considering they don’t much like to be found. Not only that, but their habitat is slowly being threatened by the rate of development on our continent. Although you may not always be a fan of picking up various species, you don’t need to fear that touching a yellow spotted salamander is dangerous.

Focusing on their mating time, habits, and life span, The Wild Report featured a video on the yellow spotted salamanders and their environment on their popular YouTube channel. Discussing their tendency to stay underground, where it’s moist (they spend 95 percent of their time underground), the video hosts examine the population numbers of these creatures and how they respond to changes in habitat.

Video: YouTube/The Wild Report

Similar to snakes, adult yellow spotted salamanders are in the midst of the food chain. They live up to 20 years in the wild and have been known to last up to three decades in captivity. Their average length for a mature adult is approximately seven inches. However, they’ve been known to grow to nine inches. Handling the species is not detrimental to a human, but if you’re not careful, it could be detrimental to them. If you’re lucky enough to find one, handle them gently, considering they’re extremely fragile. It’s also recommended you wet your hands prior to handling them, in order to protect the mucous layer on their skin, which helps them to fight off infections and keeps pathogens off their body.

What do you think of yellow spotted salamanders? Are they cute or too creepy? Have you seen one in the Lone Star State recently? Be sure to let us know!