Life Cycle
In early spring, the blue-spotted salamander will migrate to vernal ponds. Males arrive first.
Vernal ponds make good breeding grounds. Vernal ponds are temporary ponds that form in the spring when the snow melts. Vernal ponds or pools eventually dry out. This prevents predators that might eat the salamanders, like fish and frogs, from establishing themselves. The male will hold the female with his front legs and rub his chin on her head. He then deposits
spermatophore (a packet of sperm) on the pond bottom. Next he tries to position the female over the sperm. If all goes well, she will take the sperm in and it will fertilize her eggs.
The female lays her eggs on the pond bottom. The eggs are attached to plants, rocks, logs or debris. Salamander larvae hatch in two to four weeks. They have external gills and no legs. Over time, legs develop and they will lose their external gills. While they are in their larval stage, they eat small crustaceans, worms and insects. The time it takes them to transform from a larvae to a salamander will vary depending on how much food is available.
Behavior
The blue-spotted salamander is very secretive and usually only comes out from cover at night and during damp or rainy weather. It has glands on its tail that produces a milky toxin that it secretes when it is threatened. It curls its tail over its body when it is threatened. If a predator attacks, it will release the toxin into the predator's mouth.
