Three-lined Salamander

Eurycea guttolineata

The Three-lined Salamander is a small, colorful creature with three bright lines running down its back. It loves to hide under rocks and logs in wet areas, making it a fun animal to discover!

Habitat: Forests and wetlands

Appearance

The Three-lined Salamander is a slender amphibian, typically yellow, tan, or light brown. It has three distinct dark lines running down its back and sides, making it easy to identify from similar species.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAmphibiaOrderCaudataFamilyPlethodontidaeGenusEurycea

Three-lined Salamander

Interesting facts

Amazingly, these salamanders don't have lungs and breathe only through their skin!

Female salamanders can guard their precious eggs for weeks until they hatch!

Their subtle stripes help them disappear among wet leaves and twigs on the forest floor!

They have special grooves on their head that help them smell tiny prey underwater!

Special abilities

The Three-lined Salamander can drop its tail if grabbed, distracting predators while it slips away, then regrows a new one!

The Three-lined Salamander can breathe through its moist skin, absorbing oxygen directly from both water and damp ground.

The Three-lined Salamander uses its keen sense of smell to ambush small insects and invertebrates in leaf litter.

Measurements & details

Length: 7.5-12.5 cm
Weight: 0.005-0.015 kg
Lifespan: 3-7 years
Top Speed: 0.05 km/h
Clutch Size: 10-50
Metamorphosis: 90-365 days

Diet & Feeding

This little hunter loves to gobble up tiny insects and worms found in damp places.

Age differences: Larvae eat aquatic invertebrates; adults hunt terrestrial invertebrates on land.

Primary Foods

Springtails
Mites
Small worms
Tiny slugs
Insect larvae

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eaten by

Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

A common snake predator found in salamander habitats.

eaten by

Raccoon

Procyon lotor

An opportunistic hunter that may find salamanders by streams.

parasitizes

Chytrid Fungus

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

A serious fungal pathogen impacting amphibian populations globally.

Traits

Striped

Marked with parallel bands or lines of color.

Solitary

Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Forest

Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.