photo credit: J.D. Willson and John White

Northern Dusky Salamander
(Desmognathus fuscus fuscus)

Photo Credit: S.G. Tilley

Santeetlah Dusky Salamander

(Desmognathus fuscus santeetlah)

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Description: 2.5-5 in. (6.5-13 cm). These medium-sized salamanders with compressed tails are very variable and are best identified by range.  Coloration can range from yellow, to brown, gray, brick red, or black. Older individuals typically loose their markings, becoming uniformly dark in coloration. Underside is light colored and there is usually a light line from the eye to angle of the jaw. Often have markings of the back, the Spotted Dusky Salamander in particular usually has 6-8 pairs of golden or reddish golden dorsal spots on the back.
Range and Habitats: Dusky Salamanders are very common in the Piedmont and some areas of the mountains of North Carolina. The These are stream salamanders, abundant in brooks, springs, and other running water. Most often found under wood, debris, and rocks in and along streams.
Habits: Generally nocturnal, these salamanders spend daylight hours under debris or in burrows in the stream bank. Can sometimes be found by shining a flashlight along stream banks and in rocky areas at night. These salamanders feed on a variety of invertebrates and have been known to eat other salamanders and their larvae.
Breeding: In the late summer female Dusky Salamanders lay about 20 eggs under rocks or debris or around streams. She guards the eggs until they hatch into aquatic larvae. Larvae transform the following spring.
Status: Although common in many areas these salamanders are aversely effected by siltation and pollution caused by human disturbance.

Northern Dusky Salamander Larvae photo credit J.D. Willson	Range of Desmognathus fuscus in the Carolinas and Virginia Orange = Santeetlah Dusky Salamander Green = Northern Dusky Salamander Dark Blue = Spotted Dusky Salamander Light Blue = Intergrade zone between Northern and Spotted Dusky Salamanders