Hours & Admissions
Directions
March 26, 2021
It's time for the Friday edition of #BenInNature presented by our friends at Carter Bank & Trust!
I always get excited when I find a cool salamander, especially when it's a species I've never found on my property before! According to VMNH Research Associate and herpetologist extraordinaire Jason Gibson, this little fellow is most likely Desmognathus planiceps, the flat-headed salamander.
D. planiceps looks almost identical to D. fuscus, the dusky salamander. According to Gibson, based on the location of my property in Patrick County and the place where I spotted this one (underneath a rock in a low-lying, swampy, forested area near a creek), it's more likely to be D. planiceps.
Of the two, the flat-headed salamander is much more uncommon than the dusky salamander. While the dusky can be found from Canada down through the central and eastern U.S., the flat-headed salamander is known from just five counties in Virginia: Floyd, Franklin, Patrick, Pittsylvania, and Roanoke. It may also extend into the Piedmont region of North Carolina.
Not a whole lot is known about this particular species. It was first discovered in 1955 and was initially considered to be a subspecies of the dusky salamander, but genetic analysis and some small physical differences proved it to be its own species.
An unusual feature of salamanders in this genus is the unique way their jaws work. "Desmognathus" is Greek for "ligament jaw," and when these salamanders feed on insects and arthropods, they hold the lower jaw stationary while the skull swings upward!
ABOUT #BenInNature
Social distancing can be difficult, but it presents a great opportunity to become reacquainted with nature. In this series of posts, Administrator of Science Ben Williams ventures outdoors to record a snapshot of the unique sights that can be found in the natural world. New updates are posted Monday - Friday, with previous posts highlighted on the weekends. This series of posts is made possible thanks to the support of VMNH Corporate Partner Carter Bank & Trust (www.cbtcares.com)
NATURE PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS
If you discover something in nature that you would like help identifying, be sure to message us right here on Facebook with a picture (please include location and date of picture) and we'll have our experts help you identify it!
