On 2005-04-08, E Gregory wrote:
wrote:
I recently came across a nest of what I think are salamanders while
weeding a flower bed. They are red with light black spots on their
backs, approximately 5 - 7" long, the head is around 3/4", and they
move extremely fast, About 10 of the little critters came running out
when I uncovered them, and I went running the other direction. I
thought they were snakes at first, but I saw another one later and
noticed that it has front feet. I didn't see any rear feet, but I
might not have seen them because it was moving so fast. I looked up
salamanders and it could possibly be a red salamander or a mud
salamander. My concern is that each female can lay between 70 and 200
eggs and they live for years. I'm sure they are harmless, but they
are very creepy and I don't want them taking over my yard. I have
lived in the area for 19 years and have never seen these before. Has
anyone seen these and do you have any ideas on how to get rid of them?

Thanks,
Diane

You're very lucky to have them. They will not take over your yard.

Here is one bit of info:


Question - We seem to have many Salamanders around our Greenhouses
and have just discovered they lay eggs. Never thought much about it
before but after reading the use of these eggs for children to watch the
development of life, I became curious as to "what are benefits to the
balance of nature do Salamanders provide?" Should we encourage them
around the Greenhouses or will they become a pest?
-----------------------------------------------------
Most salamanders lay eggs in water.
They eat earth worms, possibly insect grubs, etc. and are eaten by a
variety
of larger birds and other animals. While this is an important part of
the
balance of nature they are usually of little concern one way or the
other to
the human economy - in other words they won't be pests, but there's
probably
no real "practical" benefit to encouraging them. They are a fascinating
and
wonderful part of nature - enjoy observing them.
J. Elliott


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Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please.

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