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(MD DNR Wildlife Ecologist Scott Smith and volunteers searching icy Delmarva Bay for Eastern Tiger Salamander egg masses)
On an oddly sunny day in mid February, volunteers from the Susquehannock Wildlife Society and other organizations joined Scott Smith, a wildlife ecologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), to trudge through ice covered wetlands in order to collect population data on a beautiful and rarely seen creature, the Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum).
(Volunteers about to enter Delmarva Bay in search of Eastern Tiger Salamander egg masses to mark with stakes)
With unique habitat often comes unique species. On the Eastern Shore of Maryland the Delmarva Bay ecosystem is no exception. Host to a variety of rare or endangered plants and amphibian species, these seasonal wetlands form from large depressions in the ground that hold rainwater and snowmelt just long enough to prevent the establishment of fish predators but allow for the breeding and metamorphosis of these endangered populations of our largest terrestrial salamander, one that depending on weather conditions can breed from late fall to spring but usually by late winter and then spends most of the year underground.
(Eastern Tiger Salamander Egg Mass)
We conducted visual surveys of the Delmarva bays to look for egg masses, a sign of not only the presence of these salamanders in each particular wetland but an indicator of health for these populations. It didn’t take long before our count quickly entered into the dozens with likely several weeks still left in the breeding season! The sites we were surveying have been preserved and managed by Maryland DNR for the purpose of protecting and hopefully increasing this incredible creature and the biodiversity of this habitat in which it lives.
(Barking Treefrog – Photos by Scott Smith)
Recorded data indicates that by removing trees from the depression basin and opening the canopy to sunlight these areas are enhanced for rare plants and amphibians like the tiger salamander and barking treefrog. A number of these wetlands were found to be colonized by these species almost immediately after this management occurred.
(Clockwise from top – SWS President Andy Adams with Eastern Snapping Turtle, Eastern Red-spotted Newt, Green Frog Tadpole, Eastern Painted Turtle)
During the survey we encountered several other members of the Delmarva Bay ecosystem – the Eastern painted turtle, green frog tadpoles, a cold but still lively Eastern snapping turtle, and a handful of Eastern red-spotted newts. We were excited to find so many tiger salamander egg masses but we really hoped to get to see an adult upclose.
(Eastern Tiger Salamander)
Suddenly we found one sitting on the bottom of the wetland! Wow, what an impressive creature! The first thing we noted was that these are much larger than their smaller, more common cousins, the spotted salamanders and marbled salamanders that we are used to seeing back home. They also exhibit a unique pattern of coloration, a paddle-like tail that acts as a rudder, and a broader head.
(MD DNR Wildlife Ecologist Scott Smith with Eastern Tiger Salamander)
We feel truly fortunate that we were able to see one of these great treasures for ourselves and that they are in good hands hopefully for many generations to come. It is reassuring that a species once thought to be on the brink of extinction locally appears to be on their way to bounce back so that they may reclaim their rightful place as the Tigers of the Delmarva Bays.
(Eastern Tiger Salamander)
** All photos by Scott McDaniel, SWS, unless otherwise noted**
