I’m posting a few holiday snaps from this week’s seminar trip to Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.
It’s very strange for a biologist to reach his dotage without seeing a salamander in the wild, but I confess to that deficiency. But it was rectified Thursday night when my host, Howie Neufeld, along with accomplished herpetologist and naturalist Wayne Van Devender, accompanied me into the “field” (a wooded preserve near the Appalachian State University student parking lot) to hunt for salamanders. We’d failed to see one on Grandfather Mountain the previous day, and Wayne promised that we’d find one within ten minutes of searching on campus.
Still dressed in my lecturing finery, and equipped with a flashlight, I searched in vain for about 20 minutes with my companions.We were about to give up when Wayne gave a shout, and, sure enough, he’d found a fine (albeit juvenile) specimen of Plethodon cylindraceus, the “white-spotted slimy salamander” common in the Appalachian Mountains. (It’s not really slimy, but does have a sticky defensive substance on its body that adheres to your hands, leaving a residuum of dried goo.) The one below is, as you see small, but they apparently can grow to 20 cm (8 inches) long.
Wayne is a crack wildlife photographer, and photographed the salamander with a flash and macro lens. Look at this beautiful little creature!
I’m told that Wayne has taken about 150,000 pictures of salamanders (he’s now working on a book on the snails of North Carolina).
The streams of the Appalachians are also home to North America’s largest salamander, the “hellbender,” (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), which lives solely in streams harboring large rocks under which it hides. One of the students did a master’s thesis on these animals, tagging them to see how much they move. The answer: not much. One apparently didn’t move for six months, while another transited every few weeks between a single pair of rocks.
Hellbenders (I didn’t see any) are big’uns. Wikipedia notes:
Both males and females grow to an adult length of 24 to 40 cm (9.4 to 16 in) from snout to vent, with a total length of 30 to 74 cm (12 to 29 in), making them the third-largest aquatic salamander species in the world (after the Chinese giant salamander and the Japanese giant salamander) and the largest in North America. An adult weighs 1.5 to 2.5 kg (3.3 to 5.5 lb). Hellbenders reach sexual maturity at about five years of age, and may live 30 years in captivity.
Here’s a nice short film of the animal with appropriate music:
Now the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus), which can reach 1.8 m long and weigh 36 kg (80 lb) , is the world’s largest salamander, but it’s critically endangered and I doubt I’ll ever see one in the wild (there are a few in U.S. zoos). But have a look at this photo:
And since I discovered the cuteness of salamanders, I’m adding a photo of the world’s second largest species, the Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus), only slightly smaller than its Chinese relative and also endangered:
A few other photos (click to enlarge). Boone is located high in the mountains, and on the way there from the Charlotte airport we stopped at Grandfather Mountain (1812 m), a very famous viewpoint that’s the centerpiece of a state park. You can see at least three states from the peak, and as far as Charlotte itself, a 1.5-hour drive away.
The mists had socked in the mountain by the time we reached the top, but on the way up they parted for one brief shining moment, and we got a view of a wooded, mountainous landscape stretching to the horizon, about to be veiled by cloud.
My host Howie studies a plant growing in the area, and there were lots of specimens in the park. It’s the ground cover below with the lovely round red and green leaves: Galax. Howie emailed me a bit about its biology:
The species name is Galax urceolata. It is also called beetleweed, since it is often pollinated by them.
Natives have harvested these leaves for over a century, but today, the plant is poached from public lands, and the sclerophyllous leaves (stiff, waxy, shiny) are used as table decorations in restaurants worldwide. Poachers get one penny/leaf on average, and it is a $20 M/yr business. It is the third most harvested plant in the southern Appalachians.
It forms huge clones, and only occasionally reproduces by seed (which are very tiny). Galax has deep underground rhizomes which help it survive the occasional ground fire, from which it sprouts quite readily. Leaves are evergreen, and usually last into their third season, dying as that year’s leaves come out in late May. In the winter, plants that get abundant sun turn a deep burgundy red, due to the production of anthocyanins. These anthocyanins protect the leaf from excess high light during cold weather, and reduce photoinhibition of photosynthesis.
. . . The Galax smell is mentioned by Charles Frazier in his bestselling novel Cold Mountain (which by the way, is a real mountain just east of Waynesboro, NC near some of my research sites), who writes that is smells like someone’s asshole. This refers to the fact that either the plant, or its roots, or perhaps some product of decomposition, gives off an odor very similar to dog poop. I’ve tried to determine what gives rise to the smell, but without success – the mystery continues. The first published paper on the smell was around 1918. If you place leaves in a bag and let them sit, no smell. Same for the roots. But in the field, you smell it. Very strange.
Finally, the iconic animal of the Appalachians is the American black bear (Ursus americanus), represented by this nice statue of a mother and cubs in the park’s small museum. Note that somebody placed fake bear poop under one of the cubs. We called this to the attention of the curator, asking about it, and, unfortunately, he removed it.
Boone, North Carolina is named after the famous American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820; second only to Davy Crockett in fame), who hunted in the mountains and plains nearby. There are several places where people have found inscriptions on trees supposedly carved by Boone and marking that he “killd a bar [bear] on this tree.” These were once thought to be fraudulent, but now, I think, some have been declared genuine. Here’s a replica of one marking a kill when Boone was about forty:
Wikipedia informs me that Lord Byron includes several stanzas about Boone in his poem “Don Juan”, including these immortal lines (not!):
Of the great names which in our faces stare,
- The General Boon, back-woodsman of Kentucky,
Was happiest amongst mortals any where;
- For killing nothing but a bear or buck, he
Enjoyed the lonely vigorous, harmless days
Of his old age in wilds of deepest maze.
Finally, the park and its environs are famous places to hunt for gemstones, and were the object of a gold rush that antedated the California gold rush of 1849. The museum displays gold nuggets and local minerals, including this specimen of amythest, the largest crystal ever found in North America (the information is below).
Salamanders are awesome (says she who is studying salamanders for her dissertation)!!! The Plethodon glutinosus complex is one of the coolest, IMHO, because there’s so much genetic diversity when they all look pretty much identical. The Appalachians have the highest percentage of endemic salamanders in the world, with 50% of salamander species that occur in the Appalachians being endemic. Plus, the region is beautiful.
Beautiful images.
I’ve seen a handsome orange-red salamander in the Appalachians—don’t know the scientific name, but the folks around there call them “water dogs.”
“Water dog” is the name usually given to aquatic salamanders in the genus Necturus, but they’re not generally orange-red. That color sounds more like some kind of Pseudotriton. Popular names, however, are just that, and if people call them “water dogs” that’s what they are, even if they’re not Necturus. My favorite popular name for salamanders in the South is “spring lizards”.
Lovely – that macro shot is particularly impressive!
One of my fondest memories from college was of hunting for salamanders in the rain in Sapsucker Woods on a Saturday night when I normally would have been at the disco (that’s how long ago it was). I know we found some, but I can’t now remember what kind they were. I often see red efts (juvenile stage of the Eastern newt) in the Shawangunks.
The mist pictures are lovely.
I probably won’t be adding galax (even nursery grown) to my native plants garden!
According to a “River Monsters” program there are Chinese salamanders in Japan, where they hybridize with the Japanese salamander. When Chinese or hybrid is discovered in the wild, they are removed.
Are those giant salamanders the people are holding alive? Because they seem far more docile than I’d expect such an animal to be….
b&
Smokin’ Lizards! The giant ones are bigger than Gila monsters.
Awesome photos, Prof.C. Thank you.
I’m trying to figure out how Noah got 4 of those giant salamanders on the ark. They’re kind of slow and not many of them existed in the Middle East.
The same way he got the penguins, pandas, ad infinitum (Lord Howe’s Island stick insect, anyone?)–the scientifically and geographically ignorant person who made up the story magicked them there.
If giant salamanders or any other animal had a brain as developed as a human’s, would any of them be stupid enough to believe the ark myth and believe in the gods of the christians?
Apparently Daniel Boone invented “Treeter”, the ancestor of Twitter.
What stunning scenery – so gorgeously verdant.
Question – were the Appalachians glaciated at all? Even if not I would have supposed different climate regions – just wondering about dispersal of slow moving sedentary salamanders… I would expect greater speciation in such creatures – is this the case?
FWIW, Sweden has salamanders post-glacially.
The lack of continental glaciation is one reason for the rich flora and fauna of the Southern Appalachians. In the U.S., the only place that rivals them in biodiversity is southern Arizona (including the Sonoran Desert and northern end of the Sierra Madre Occidental).
Whether there were Appalachian mountain glaciers (locally present on high peaks) is not clear. There is some geological evidence and several relict North Woods plants, but in general it’s assumed that this area was spared the worst effects of the ice – hence the abundance of endemic salamanders, ferns, spectacular wildflowers such as orchids, trilliums, lilies, and wild gingers, and ancient tree species such as magnolias.
As for the salamanders, many species have extremely tiny ranges, and there are several that are restricted to a single valley or cave system. They aren’t big travellers and are very sensitive to microclimates.
I’ve always loved salamanders and was fortunate enough to be able to see many Appalachian species. When I was a small child, I carried a lifelike rubber salamander in my pocket while the other kids had dolls or teddy bears. (I also had a collection of stuffed lions, but being cats, they stayed home in my room!)
Following from Ironwing’s comment, there are also salamander species in the Appalachians that are restricted even to a single mountaintop peak. It’s amazing. Salamanders also tend to go underground when the climate becomes unsuitable, contrasted to e.g. frogs, which have a relatively higher dispersal ability and dependence on water for reproduction. Many (but not all, by any means) salamanders are fully terrestrial and do not have aquatic larvae, meaning they are not dependent on consistent standing water. The Last Glacial Maximum, for example, when the climate was cooler and drier, is hypothesized to have restricted frog species to isolated refugia, but some salamanders may have had even broader geographic distributions than their current distributions. It’s all fascinating, I think, and much ongoing research.
Thanks to both for such interesting comments. I now recall the famous ring species of California Ensatina escholtzii… http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/devitt_01
And now I know (?) where the chinese got their idea of dragon from.
Salamanders around here are two species as far as I know, the small variety rather drab with various camouflage colors but cute, while the larger is flashy with some reds, a trait which animals around here are not usually known for. I’ve had the fortune to see some rare small adult large salamanders.
Here in the southern part of the continent where I live, Fire Salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) are quite common in the woods, and quite active also during the day on rainy days such as these. They’re beautiful, black with bright yellow spots, always a treat to see one, and can be quite fast if in a hurry. The black Alpine Salamander (Salamandra atra) is quite common here, too, but harder to spot.
I did not know that beetles pollinate plants! Beetleweed, indeed. Fascinating and gorgeous photos.
Any idea why they grew so big compared with the other amphibians?
Prehistoric amphibians were sometimes even larger I think, including some possible ancestors of today’s salamanders, the Temnospondyli. One (Koolasuchus) was featured in an old episode of the BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs, a show I used to watch over and over with my nephews some years ago.
‘Bout that bear poop:
There is a statue in Rotterdam of dog including it’s offset turd.
The owner of the restaurant behind (long closed) put out a bowl of water every day.
(there is a striking difference between how polished up the bits of USA bronze are compared to their EU counterparts.)
I think people can’t resist fondling statues the world over and the shine shows which bits catch their attention. Couple of interesting examples here…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nrg-photos/7300139096/
&
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/an-attention-getter-irresistibly-interactive/
My faith in humanity has been restored! Thank You!
My family lives in the Charlotte area now but my parents are from the southern Appalachians (Mom in NC, Dad in north Georgia.) The mountains are in my blood and the mists are most beautiful to me. I love living here and likely always will live here (Momma’s boy.)
I was raised So Baptist but came out in 1986, as a homosexual and an Atheist. Anyone who knows me, even as an acquaintance, will quickly find out my orientation, sexually and spiritually. I lay the fear and loathing, prominent in my formative years and sadly in my adult life as well, at the door of religion. I will not shut up nor will I ever give quarter to religion, and most certainly not to the So. Baptist church, born due to it’s support of human enslavement.
Thank you Jerry for coming to Appalachian. I look forward to the next time.
BTW, Here’s a Big Bang (the comedy show) ref to Boone NC (at the one minute mark).
Oops, I didn’t mean to post the clip, just the link.
Great post!
Worthwhile SHORT VIDEO CLIP from the BBCEarth Youtube channel on the Japanese giant salamander
I supposed from looking at various videos that the highly aquatic species of salamander have dispensed with teeth [for reasons I don’t understand], but it seems I’m WRONG
I’ve seen hellbenders in the streams here in SW Indiana. I guess we’re one of the only western outliers for the species. I found a spotted salamander in my backyard one rather dry year (I live in a woods). So I took it down the hill to the small stream that flows through the woods.
Hellbenders are in the Ozarks, too. And spotted salamanders live in the woods, except in spring, when they go to ponds (not streams to breed), so he was probably OK where you found him.
Thanks for bringing back memories of Grandfather Mountain and the salamanders! In the 1950’s I collected many salamanders on Grandfather for my dissertation work, even camping out there. At night many salamanders can be seen there. Also, a herpetologist collecting there years ago died when he fell.
Of note, in 1948 the American comparative neuroanatomist Charles Jusdon Herrick (1870 – 1960) wrote his seminal contribution on brain anatomy, The Brain of The Tiger Salamander.
C. J. Herrick, and his shorter lived brother Clarence L. Herrick (who died at age 40 from TB) helped birth the American school of comparative neurology/neuroanatomy. The brothers published the first issue of the Jnl of Comparative Neuroanatomy.
As a frontispiece to this text were pictures of the tiger salamander – a Midwestern adult form at natural size (a picture dated to 1931). Two additional pictures show late larval and adult of the ‘eastern form’ the adult displaying the brilliant yellow tiger stripes.
Reference these pictures is for a more expert audiencd (but motivated by the many pics of salmanders in the original post). The content of Herrick’s book is somewhat encyclopedic.
A. Lautin
Very snide review of Steve Jones’s new book in Sunday Times today by the way… ended with an attack on New Atheism.
When you wrote that the hellbender video had “appropriate music”, I was expecting thrash metal.