Watch Out For Salamanders About To Get Freaky In The Garden State

Spring is always a lovely time in the Garden State. The greenery starts to appear once again, the flowers develop their buds, and New Jersey's wildlife springs back into action. It almost feels like all of New Jersey's nature and inhabitants are getting busy sprouting new life. Everything from the trees and flowers to rabbits and squirrels are doing their thing come spring.

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Believe it or not, that's also true for amphibians that call the Garden State home. Did you know that New Jersey is home to about sixteen species of salamanders? As a matter of fact, that's only a portion of Jersey's reptile and amphibian wildlife. According to New Jersey's Department of Fish and Wildlife, there are 71 species of reptiles and amphibians here in the Garden State.

One of the common species of salamanders you'll see emerge this spring here in New Jersey is the spotted salamander. Late winter is usually the time when they'll migrate to what are known as vernal pools, or fishless water pools, that usually exist within forests to reproduce. The eggs will stay in these pools and eventually hatch into larva, which will grow into the full-grown salamanders that you'd probably recognize.

There's an incredibly informative video published on Youtube from the channel called The Wild Report that dives into detail about why it's so important for the salamander to be protected. Check it out:

So, if you see one of these little guys in the forest or even running across the street, don't get in their way. They're off to take care of some important business, if you know what I mean.

Sources: NJ.State.US, Youtube