McCritter - Red Salamander (Endangered) 02: Not!!

----- UPDATE ----- Well, I had to come back to this post and make the corrections that I made on the original photographs. I had erroneously identified this little critter last year when I first posted it - as the rare and endangered Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber). However, I recently received an email from Dean Alessandrini, VP of The Greater Cincinnati Herpetological Society, correcting me on the identification. Therefore, I now have the salamander properly labled, as the Cave Salamander, (Eurycea lucifuga). It is found in the limestone cave regions of the midwest and south (shown in map above). A beautiful little amphibian. As Dean stated, its identifying features of wide head, slender body, and large, bulging eyes are obvious. At least part of my comment below was correct. This salamander and all amphibians are truly the 'canaries in the birdcage' detectors of a clean, healthy environment. We are loosing them in ever increasing - and alarming - rates each year. This is something we should all be very concerned about. They may be first .... but we're not that far behind them. O'fieldstream --- original erroneous entry --- This little a rare item in the Hoosierland and well worth preserving. Besides being cute - they are environmental indicators. Even more than humans the skin of amphibians allow the outside environment to pass through their respiratory as well as their skin-air-interface. McCritter - Red Salamander (Endangered) 02 They are our "canary-in-the-birdcage". Let's not kill the our protective alarms.