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Peepers, Marbles, and Tigers, Oh My!

Written on: March 14th, 2016 in Wetland Animals

Thanks to all that extra water lying around, all sorts of amphibians start to come alive this time of year in Delaware. Frogs and salamanders use these seasonal pools of water, or wetlands, to breed and can only do so because predatory fish cannot survive the lack of permanent water. They then use the surrounding drier wetlands and uplands as summer habitat.

In your travels you may have started to hear the sounds of the Spring Peeper. Their sound is a high pitched “peep peep peep” and when singing together it has been said, they sound like a chorus of bells.  The Spring Peeper males use these sounds to attract a mate, and are one of the earliest breeding frogs you will find in the State. They are brown to grey in color and can be identified by an X-marking on the back.

Spotted, Marbled and Eastern Tiger Salamanders are just a few of the salamanders that roam the state.  These salamanders are in the mole salamander family because they spend most of their adult life under leaves, logs or in holes or burrows in the ground. They only return to the water, such as that in vernal pools, to breed during the winter/spring months.

Tags: amphibians, wetland