What kind of salamander
Posted by Anna Freeman on October 24, 2005
Q: I found what I think is a salamander, but how can I be sure?It is about 2 inches long and is brown.It's brown back fades into a brownish orange color on it's underneath side.On one side of it's spine, it has 5 orange dots going down,and on the other side,it has six orange dots going down.Please help!
Thanks much!
State: Kentucky
A: It's really not difficult to tell a salamander from a lizard. Salamanders do not have scales and they do not have claws - lizards have both. I can't identify your animal from your description but I'm guessing that you have a salamander. I know the idea of making a pet sounds nice but feeding your animal, as you've already found out, is not easy. Furthermore, your salamander is preparing for winter so really should be allowed to find its own sheltered area where it can spend the winter. If you Google "Kentucky Salamanders" you should be able to get some photographs that will help you identify your animal. You might want to take some nice pictures of your animal and then release it near where it was found. This way you'll know that it's safe and will be around in the spring. Thanks for sharing.
John Wiessinger ( October 24, 2005)