This week, we visited the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. Our intention was to find some spring ephemerals, and we were not disappointed. However, we were not expecting to get a lesson in the life cycle of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum).
As we crossed the bridge into the Coastal Plain Habitat, we were greeted with this sign describing the life cycle of salamanders.
It turns out that salamanders are a little bit like frogs. The female salamanders lay eggs in the water in the late winter. After 20 – 60 days, the eggs hatch into larva. As the sign above explains, salamander larva are similar to tadpoles, with frilly gills. The larva take 60 – 90 days to mature into the salamanders that we see on the ground.
Since it is the first week of March, it seemed like it would be a good time to see the eggs or larva. After some careful inspection, we were treated to both the eggs and larva*!
You never know what you’ll find in nature. Stay curious!
*Edit on March 8, 2025– I shared the egg picture and the picture with multiple larvae on iNaturalist. The experts say that the larvae are marbled salamanders (Ambystoma opacum). Marbled salamanders lay their eggs in the fall in dry areas. If the area fills with water during the winter, the eggs will begin to hatch. Spotted salamanders don’t lay their eggs until the end of winter so they wouldn’t have had time to hatch yet. Also, if you look very carefully at the closeup picture of the larva, there is a light line running alongside the body. This is a distinguishing feature of marbled salamanders. So, there you have it. Spotted salamander eggs and marbled salamander larvae at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.