The Spotted Salamander
The Spotted Salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, was designated as the official State Amphibian by Act No. 79, 1999. The Spotted Salamander is a stout-bodied species of 150 to 249 millimeters in length, identified by bright yellow round spots in two irregular rows on a dark background. The species inhabits deciduous forests with semipermanent pools about one meter deep. The Spotted Salamander is the only amphibian indigenous to the whole State and survives by avoiding bottomlands subject to regular flooding and permanent ponds containing fish.