Description: 3-5 in. (9-12.5 cm) A chunky black salamander with white/gray bands on the back.  Gray coloration in females and white coloration in males.
Range and Habitat: Common in the piedmont and coastal plain of North Carolina. While the Marbled Salamander is found in a variety of habitats, it is most common in moist bottomland areas, especially near wetlands.
Habits: Feed on worms and other invertebrates.  Marbled salamanders are mainly terrestrial until breeding season when they migrate to temporary wetlands to mate. In other months they are most often encountered under logs and woodland debris.
Breeding: Usually breed in autumn, when female deposit in ditches that will fill with water in the winter. She guards the eggs until rain covers them with water and they hatch. This breeding strategy ensures that the eggs hatch as soon as aquatic habitat is available, giving larvae a distinct advantage over other amphibian larvae.

Range of the Marbled Salamander in the Carolinas and Virginia