IDENTIFICATION: Size ranges from 5.1-9 cm. Record 10.2 cm. It appears similar to the redback but has a distinguishing white enamel belly with black spots, and four toes on hind foot, while most salamanders have five. The dorsum is rusty brown on the top and the are grayish. The four-toed also has a marked constriction at the base of the tail.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY: This species has significantly declined due to deforestation, including the loss of vernal ponds, bogs, and other wetlands.
BREEDING/LARVAE: Like the redback they engage in the tail-straddle walk during courtship. The tail-straddle rock has been observed to last for as long as 20 minutes. Eventually the female will pick up a spermatophore, and the mating will be over for the season. The egg-laying period lasts anywhere from 2-6 weeks. Females nest above the water line near swamps, bogs, marshes, or streams. It is not uncommon for a female to share her nest with another female salamander. This is called "joint nesting."
HABITAT: Forested areas, swamps, bogs, marshes, and vernal ponds all make comfortable habitats for the four-toed salamander.
PREDATORS: The four-toed salamander is most likely preyed upon by snakes, birds, and shrews. In defense the salamander may secrete noxious gas to get rid of the predator.
FOOD: Their main source of food comes from zooplankton and other common invertebrates.
RANGE: Ranges from Nova Scotia down to the Gulf of Mexico, west to Wisconsin, and southwest to Oklahoma and Missouri.

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