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Animal profile

Eastern Red-backed Salamander

Plethodon cinereus

AmphibiaMoist deciduous forest floor, under logs, rocks and leaf litterLeast Concern

Field profile

The eastern red-backed salamander is a small, slender lungless salamander around 6 to 10 centimetres long, occurring in a red-striped form and an unstriped lead-backed form. It has no aquatic larval stage, laying eggs in damp cavities on land. In parts of its range it is among the most abundant vertebrates by number.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-01-31

Eastern Red-backed Salamander

Red-backed salamanders outweigh a forest's birds

In some northeastern forests, this palm-sized salamander is so numerous that its combined mass exceeds that of all the birds present, and rivals that of the small mammals, despite almost never being seen above the leaf litter.

Read with evidence →

Eastern Red-backed Salamander | Daily Animal Facts