One of the 14 salamanders on WAnimals
Amphibians · Caudata · Plethodontidae
Plethodon shenandoah
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
The Shenandoah salamander lives only on the talus slopes of three summits in a national park in Virginia. Like all plethodontids it has no lungs and breathes entirely through its skin. Its tiny distribution is not down to habitat but to competition: a commoner sister species has gradually forced it onto the poorest soils.
Size
8 cm – 12 cm
Life expectancy
25 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sources consulted: IUCN Red List · Animal Diversity Web · Wikipedia (es)
Best time: From spring to autumn, on humid nights, on three rocky talus slopes in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia: it lives nowhere else in the world.
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Shenandoah Salamander — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The shenandoah salamander is classified as endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 1 protected area — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about shenandoah salamander.
