Conserve Wildlife Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Tiger Salamanders’

Encouraging Development for Tiger Salamanders

Thursday, February 29th, 2024

By Christine Healy, Wildlife Biologist

Close up of an adult tiger salamander.

In today’s world, it’s pretty difficult to think of a species that scientists are not concerned about in the face of climate change. The reasons are many and diverse, but in a state where 42% of municipalities are considered “coastal”, it comes as no surprise that sea level rise (SLR) is a big threat here- both to people and wildlife. When the average person imagines which species are most likely to be impacted by SLR, it’s likely that beach nesters, including piping plovers, immediately come to mind. Afterall, they occupy the same environments that recreationalists are worried about losing. Valid point- but they are not the only ones. Eastern tiger salamanders, one of New Jersey’s rarest amphibians, also make the list. 

Like our other mole salamanders (spotted, blue-spotted, marbled, and Jefferson), Eastern tiger salamanders require access to temporary wetlands, called vernal pools, to successfully breed. The ephemeral nature of these water bodies is critical because it eliminates fish as potential egg predators and thus increases larval survival. While these salamanders spend much of the year in forested landscapes, adults return annually to their natal pools (in most cases) to reproduce. High fidelity to these sites can put these amphibians in danger if development occurs within their migration corridors or changes transpire within the pools themselves. 

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Protecting Eastern Tiger Salamanders in New Jersey

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

 

By: Lindsay McNamara, Communications CoordinatorETS close_up_12.2014

Conserve Wildlife Foundation proudly partners with Atlantic City Electric to help protect New Jersey’s rarest amphibian, the Eastern Tiger Salamander. The survival of Eastern Tiger Salamanders is threatened by sea level rise, over-development of critical habitat and climate change.

 

We are working together to build a vernal pool along a portion of Atlantic City Electric’s transmission right-of-way in Cape May County. Vernal pools hold water in the winter and spring, but dry out during the summer months. Since fish cannot live in vernal pools, salamander eggs are not in danger of being eaten. We are hopeful that these ideal breeding conditions will aid Eastern Tiger Salamander recovery over time.

 

Last Friday, Conserve Wildlife Foundation biologists and other state biologists took Eastern Tiger Salamander egg masses from a productive pool and placed them into the new vernal pools.

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Christine Melillo, Pepco Holdings and NJDEP Division of Land Use Regulation biologist Karena Dileo moving salamander egg masses.

 

Learn more:

Lindsay McNamara is the Communications Coordinator for Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.