Cavechat.org

I was wondering if anyone has found the Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus) in caves located in TAG. If so could you list what caves they have been found in.
Link to website with info on this species.

Here is a nice image from David L. (Click to image make it larger)

I was in TAG... Alabama to be exact. We found one in Pipeside Pit near Stevens Gap. It was the only one we saw all week. That was about 2 weeks ago. It was pretty cool.


Credit for pic: Elliot Stahl

I'm assuming this is different than the mostly black with some green salamaders that we call Slimey's...or are they the same?

no, the slimey salamander is different. Besides the color differences, they tend to be heavy set salamanders as opposed to skinny

extremely bad luck if you see one of those in a cave...are guarding spirits of the deceased buried in that cave.

What's wrong with spirits of the deceased? Or is it that the deceased are buried in the cave you're in? I still can't see what's bad luck about either of these things...

I guess there was a dead dog in the cave while we were there.... pretty nasty.. so I guess it could have been guarding the dogs spirit... just a thought....

I've seen only one Green Salamander in eight years of TAG caving. That was in Cook's Pit in Madison County, AL. It was halfway up the 135 ft pit. Is your interest part of a research project? If so, I may be able to find the photo I took.

Naaaah. Sallies are always good luck!

(this coming from a mammalogist).

LOL speleo. I'm also a mammals oriented biologist. I used to joke with my peers in other disciplines that the animal and plant kingdoms should be combined then divided in two parts, mammals, and food for mammals :) I have yet to see a green salamander though I might have to go looking now!

jack.fischer wrote:I've seen only one Green Salamander in eight years of TAG caving. That was in Cook's Pit in Madison County, AL. It was halfway up the 135 ft pit. Is your interest part of a research project? If so, I may be able to find the photo I took.

I am interested because I would like to know there general cave habits and there general range (more then just a colored range section on a map). I also need to take a photo of one. It is really more of a hobby but good for me to know. I am doing a good amount of biology classes because I am a Outdoor Education Naturalist major in college.

I'll post the photo in a day or two (once I find it) so you can verify the species. I'm curious as to what its actual distribution really is. I read one description that said "locally common." I'm not quite sure what that is supposed to mean since it wasn't in reference to any particular area.

Taken in Cook's Pit, 31 March 2007.

locally common is a term used to identify populations that may be abundant in small areas but not across a given range. Long-Tailed salamanders for example may be very common in a particular cave or small group of caves but are not very common across the range of states they occur in.

One suggestion would be to describe the type of area you took the photos or saw the salamander in. I.E. the wall of the pit, near the entrance, in organic debris, wet areas, etc.

jack.fischer wrote:Taken in Cook's Pit, 31 March 2007.

Thanks for the image.

wyandottecaver wrote:locally common is a term used to identify populations that may be abundant in small areas but not across a given range. Long-Tailed salamanders for example may be very common in a particular cave or small group of caves but are not very common across the range of states they occur in.

One suggestion would be to describe the type of area you took the photos or saw the salamander in. I.E. the wall of the pit, near the entrance, in organic debris, wet areas, etc.

Good idea.